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Elenz

New Zealand's electricity

Data and methods

Every data source

All 24 datasets behind the site, grouped by kind. Each says what it contains, what Elenz uses it for, and which method pages describe that use. Datasets marked “Check” are used only to test or fit a method, not shown directly.

Market data

Real-time dispatchElectricity Authority (EMI)

EMI API: real-time-dispatch

Contains
Every 5-minute dispatch case: MW for each generating unit and load at every connection point, and the price at every node, including the island reference nodes.
Used for
The live week: generation by unit, island load, prices, the Tiwai smelter (TWI2201). Also the inputs to the HVDC estimate and the price explainer.
Covers
The last month or so
Published
Usually 1–2 minutes after each interval starts
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, Demand, Wholesale prices, HVDC transfer, Price explainer, History since 1997, Records

Dispatch prices and volumesElectricity Authority (EMI)

DispatchAndPricing/NodalPricesAndVolumes

Contains
The same dispatch cases as the real-time feed, one file a day, for connection points with load or generation (no bus nodes).
Used for
Fills gaps in the live week; history for the weeks since the latest metered month; plants the metering doesn’t have (batteries, new solar farms).
Covers
From 10 Sep 2020
Published
1–4 days late
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, Demand, Wholesale prices, History since 1997, Records

Final energy pricesElectricity Authority (EMI)

DispatchAndPricing/FinalEnergyPrices

Contains
The price the market settles at, for every node and half-hour trading period. Marked interim (_I) for the last day or two and while under review.
Used for
Every price in the history. The usual prices the explainer compares with.
Covers
From 1996 (the site uses August 1997 on)
Published
Usually the next day
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Wholesale prices, Price explainer, History since 1997, Records

Generator offersElectricity Authority (EMI)

BidsAndOffers/Offers

Contains
Each generator’s energy offers for every trading period: blocks of MW at a price, revised up to gate closure.
Used for
The possible price setter in the price explainer, from the final offers of the newest published day; offered capacity for the Generation tab’s dispatchable headroom, every half-hour from 2013.
Covers
January 2013 on, daily files
Published
The day after
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Price explainer, Installed capacity

Dispatched generation plantElectricity Authority (EMI)

Generation/GenerationFleet/Existing/DispatchedGenerationPlant.csv

Contains
Every dispatched unit: plant name, connection point, unit code, fuel, technology, operator and nameplate MW, with dated rows as units are added, moved or retired.
Used for
Maps each unit in the dispatch data to its plant, fuel, island and owner; plant capacities.
Covers
Current and past units
Published
About twice a year
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, Renewable share and groupings, Installed capacity

Network supply pointsElectricity Authority (EMI)

MappingsAndGeospatial/NetworkSupplyPointsTable

Contains
Every connection point, current and retired, with its island, network and coordinates.
Used for
The island of connection points that appear only in the metered history; placing the embedded solar irradiance points.
Covers
Current and past points
Published
Every few days
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, Embedded solar, History since 1997

Network region shapesElectricity Authority (EMI)

MappingsAndGeospatial/NetworkRegionShapefiles

Contains
Outlines of the market’s network zones (2018).
Used for
The outlines of the two islands on the Now page’s map, simplified.
Covers
Static
Published
–
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Metered data

Metered generationElectricity Authority (EMI)

Generation/Generation_MD

Contains
Half-hourly energy from each station, by connection point and generator code: grid-connected stations from August 1997, stations on local networks from January 2009.
Used for
Generation by plant and fuel for every month it has been published.
Covers
From Aug 1997
Published
About 5–6 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, Demand, History since 1997, Installed capacity, Records

Embedded generationElectricity Authority (EMI)

Metered_data/Embedded_generation

Contains
Half-hourly energy injected at connection points on local networks.
Used for
Stations on local networks before 2009, and their gross output where Generation_MD records it net of local load.
Covers
From Oct 1998 (most points from Apr 1999)
Published
About 2 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Generation, History since 1997, Installed capacity, Records

Grid exportsElectricity Authority (EMI)

Metered_data/Grid_export

Contains
Half-hourly energy leaving the grid at every connection point.
Used for
Demand in history.
Covers
From Oct 1996
Published
About 2 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Demand, History since 1997, Records

Grid importsElectricity Authority (EMI)

Metered_data/Grid_import

Contains
Half-hourly energy entering the grid at every connection point (until about 2003, only from local networks).
Used for
Demand in history.
Covers
From Oct 2000
Published
About 2 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Demand, History since 1997, Records

Grid exports to TiwaiElectricity Authority (EMI)

Metered_data/Grid_export_to_Tiwai

Contains
Half-hourly energy supplied to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
Used for
The smelter’s load in history.
Covers
From Oct 1996
Published
About 2 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Demand, History since 1997, Records

HVDC flowsElectricity Authority (EMI)

Metered_data/HVDC_Flows

Contains
Half-hourly energy at the Benmore and Haywards ends of the HVDC link (three file layouts over the years).
Used for
HVDC transfer in history; the fit behind the live estimate.
Covers
From Oct 1996
Published
About 2 weeks after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
HVDC transfer, History since 1997, Records

Reconciled injection and offtakeElectricity Authority (EMI)Check

Volumes/Reconciliation

Contains
Monthly files of metered injection and offtake by connection point, network, trader and half-hour.
Used for
Checking the embedded solar model against metered exports, and the output of embedded solar farms.
Covers
Monthly
Published
About a week after each month
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Embedded solar

Weather

Satellite irradianceOpen-Meteo (Himawari, JMA/JAXA)

Satellite Radiation API

Contains
Sunshine reaching the ground (global and diffuse irradiance) every 10 minutes, from the Himawari geostationary satellite.
Used for
Embedded solar, live and from 2016, at 35 points.
Covers
From 2016
Published
About 45 minutes behind real time
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Embedded solar, History since 1997

ERA5 reanalysisOpen-Meteo (Copernicus ERA5)

Historical Weather API

Contains
Hourly modelled irradiance on a ~30 km grid, reconstructed from weather observations.
Used for
Embedded solar from August 2013 to 2015, before the satellite archive starts.
Covers
Decades
Published
About 5 days behind
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Embedded solar, History since 1997

Weather forecast irradianceOpen-Meteo

Forecast API

Contains
Forecast irradiance.
Used for
A fallback for live embedded solar, only if the satellite data stops arriving.
Covers
Forecast
Published
Hourly
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Embedded solar

Emission factors and national figures

Quarterly performance reportsGenesis Energy

Contains
Each quarter, Huntly’s Rankine output, the share of their fuel that was coal, coal and gas burned, and generation emissions.
Used for
The Rankines’ coal share each quarter from July 2020, and the coal factor fitted to their reported emissions.
Covers
From FY21 (Jul 2020) in use
Published
About 3 weeks after each quarter
Licence
Published figures (cited)
Method
Emissions intensity

Electricity statisticsMinistry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Electricity data tables (quarterly generation by fuel)

Contains
Quarterly and annual electricity generation by fuel, including generation from coal.
Used for
The Rankines’ coal share before July 2020; checking the history’s annual totals.
Covers
From the 1970s
Published
Quarterly
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Emissions intensity, History since 1997

Measuring emissions guidanceMinistry for the Environment

Fuels: natural gas, stationary combustion

Contains
Emission factors for fuels burned in New Zealand.
Used for
The natural gas factor, 54.1 kg CO₂e/GJ.
Covers
Current guidance
Published
Yearly
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Method
Emissions intensity

Geothermal emissions working groupNZ Geothermal Association (McLean et al.)

Contains
Each geothermal station’s operational emissions (gas released from the field) per kWh, for 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Used for
Each geothermal station’s own factor by year.
Covers
2020, 2022, 2023
Published
Each November (NZ Geothermal Workshop)
Licence
Published figures (cited)
Method
Emissions intensity

Compiled by Elenz

Plant capacity historiesElenz

facilities/plant_capacity.csv

Contains
Every plant the tracker shows, with its installed MW and the dates each figure applies: the EA plant register, corrected where it misses upgrades, closures or staged commissioning. Each row names its source.
Used for
Capacity factors in the Generation tab’s mix table, and its dispatchable headroom chart.
Covers
August 1997 on
Published
Updated by hand as plants change
Licence
Compiled from the sources each row names
Method
Installed capacity

Also

Only data that may be republished is used. Live hydro lake storage and planned outages aren’t on the site yet, because there is no source for them that can be republished freely.

Articles cite their own sources at the end of each article.

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