Meridian is New Zealand's only certified supplier of certified carbon neutral electricity. Carbon neutral electricity offers customers a real choice. Customers who buy electricity from Meridian can now know we will take responsibility for ensuring that the carbon footprint of the electricity we sell is neutral. In other words, the electricity they buy from us does not contribute to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Making a difference for our customers

Meridian is committed to sustainable development, and providing carbon neutral certified electricity is part of that commitment. We also know that our customers are increasingly looking for options that are environmentally sustainable. Being committed to only renewable energy generation and offering carbon neutral electricity is one way we can help them make a real difference.

How is our electricity carbon neutral?

Meridian is a renewable energy generator, so our electricity generation does not directly produce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the day-to-day operations involved in generating and retailing electricity (such as land and air travel) producegreenhouse gas emissions. We reduce these emissions as much as possible by using less resources such as paper and reducing travel. We then balance out unavoidable emissions by buying 'carbon credits' – from projects that reduce or avoidgreenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.

Externally certified

To give customers confidence that they are buying carbon neutral electricity, we went through a rigorous external certification process. LandCare Research provided certification through their carboNZero programme and the process was also externally audited by Deloitte. In addition, we engaged the PricewaterhouseCoopers Climate Change team to guide us on international best practice in carbon accounting.

Links

For more information about Meridian's carbon neutral electricity visit our website

For more information about our approach to climate change visit the Climate Change section of this report.