Participating Countries - New Zealand

New Zealand has a legislated target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with interim emissions budgets under the Climate Change Response Act. Energy-related emissions account for approximately 40% of national greenhouse gas emissions, of which the industrial sector contributes around 26%. Industrial process heat represents 60–65% of total industrial final energy demand and is predominantly supplied by coal and natural gas. Decarbonising industrial process heat is therefore a key national priority, and industrial heat pumps, including high-temperature and steam-generating heat pumps, are recognised as a critical pathway. New Zealand consequently has a strong interest in high-temperature heat pump systems and is represented in Project 68.

The New Zealand working group is coordinated by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). EECA is a Crown entity responsible for promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and emissions reduction across New Zealand. EECA has led a comprehensive, long-term programme to support industrial heat pump deployment, combining technology demonstration, deployment funding, data development, and capacity building. This work began over a decade ago through the Technology Demonstration Fund, initially targeting low-temperature applications, before expanding to higher-temperature systems. Deployment was subsequently accelerated through the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund, under which EECA supported large-scale adoption of industrial heat pumps across multiple sectors. EECA is now progressing targeted activities focused on >100 degrees Celsius and steam-generating heat pumps to address remaining fossil-fuel-based process heat demand.

The Ahuroa Centre at the University of Waikato is involved as the national research partner. The Centre is a research and innovation hub focused on energy systems, renewable technologies, and emissions reduction, with experience in applied research on industrial energy use, process systems integration, and emerging heat pump technologies. The Ahuroa Centre contributes analytical capability, research leadership, and demonstration infrastructure to Project 68, complementing EECA’s innovation, national industry network, and technology deployment expertise.

Relevant ongoing or finalized R&D projects of the national team partners:

• Industrial Heat Pump Market Development and Capability Building Programme, 2018 – ongoing, EECA-led supplier engagement, knowledge sharing, and industry guidance.
• Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA), 2021 – ongoing, Whole-of-site industrial energy assessments supporting electrification and heat pump integration.
• EECA Request for Proposals (RFP) – Very High-Temperature and Steam Heat Pumps, 2024 – 2025, Targeted RFP to support early deployment and demonstration of advanced heat pump technologies.
• Development of the Energy End Use Database (EEUD), ongoing, National dataset supporting identification of industrial process heat decarbonisation opportunities.
• Regional Industrial Heat Demand Mapping, ongoing, Identification of fossil-fuel-based industrial process heat sites suitable for electrification.
• Industrial Heat Pump Site Assessment Programme, 2025 – 2028, EECA-supported assessments of 10 industrial sites across multiple sectors (e.g. food processing, dairy, meat, wood processing, textiles) to evaluate heat pump integration opportunities. 
• Technology Demonstration Fund – Industrial Heat Pumps, 2010 – 2019, Demonstration of low- and medium-temperature industrial heat pump applications.
• Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund, 2020 – 2023, 83 projects supported; approximately 26–30 industrial heat pump projects.
• Industrial Steam Heat Pump Demonstration Project at the Ahuroa Centre, 2025 – ongoing, First-of-a-kind steam heat pump demonstration supported by EECA, Project partners: Ahuroa Centre, EECA, technology providers.
• High-Temperature and Steam Heat Pump Research Programme, 2024 – ongoing, Led by the Ahuroa Centre with EECA support, focusing on system integration, performance assessment, and applicability to New Zealand industries.
• Advanced Heat Pump Systems Integration Research, 2023 – ongoing, Ahuroa Centre-led research on integration of high-temperature heat pumps into complex industrial energy systems.
• Industrial Energy Systems Modelling and Optimisation Programme, 2022 – ongoing, Ahuroa Centre research on techno-economic modelling of electrified industrial heat, including heat pump-based solutions.
• Waste Heat Recovery and Upgrade Research for Industrial Applications, 2022 – ongoing, Ahuroa Centre-led research investigating recovery of low- and medium-grade waste heat using industrial heat pumps.
• Electricity–Heat Sector Coupling for Industrial Decarbonisation, 2023 – ongoing, Ahuroa Centre research on flexible operation of industrial heat pumps and interaction with the electricity system.