Northpower consumers will receive a ‘line holiday’ of $5.3 million – effective immediately.

Iceland is putting itself forward to host the world’s data centres as its cold climate would drastically reduce the amount of energy needed to cool down servers.

The global computer industry accounts for about 2% of the world's carbon emissions, which puts it on par with the airline industy, according to a IDC survey. Most of the output is due to server farms and the energy needed to cool them.

New Zealand’s electricity generation has fallen to its lowest level in six years, as the demand for power crumbled in the first quarter of the year.

According to the latest data from the New Zealand Energy Quarterly, the March quarter saw total electricity generation fall by 5% compared with the same quarter last year, to the lowest quarterly generation since June 2003.

Energy companies are producing just as much profit as power, with Genesis Energy and Mighty River Power joining Transpower in reporting stronger profits today, although Meridian has seen its profit fall.

In the first six months of the financial year, Genesis Energy’s net profit after tax increased from $31 million in 2007 to $49 million and Mighty River Power’s ebitdaf soared from $175.1 million to $234.5 million.

Many homes and businesses in the Auckland suburb of St Heliers were without power today and more may face blackouts if power usage doesn’t drop.

Transpower is struggling to supply power after yesterday’s transformer fault left the Penrose substation with only one operational transformer.

Vector spokeswoman Philippa White says Transpower had told lines operator Vector that they had to keep usage below a certain level to keep the pressure off the network.

“The savings haven’t been sufficient,” she says.