As one of your customers, I am deeply disappointed to learn that you are actively involved in trying to block the scheduled closure of New Zealand’s last big coal-fired power station at Huntly.

I am asking you to freeze these harmful negotiations and allow the Huntly coal station to close down in 2018, as planned.

Climate pollution and the source of my energy are of great importance to me. Your decision to try and reverse the Huntly closure has let me and many other customers down.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Huntly coal burning unit is responsible for up to 5% of our country’s climate pollution. To keep it open is unacceptable in 2016, when world leaders have just signed a historic climate deal agreeing to end the use of climate damaging fuels like coal.

All around the world, from the U.S. and U.K. to China and India, people are turning away from dirty coal to clean energy. Investing millions of dollars to keep Huntly burning this outdated fuel will take our country backwards.

As your customer, I ask you instead to move into the 21^st Century and help make New Zealand a leader in clean, renewable energy. We have almost 4,000 megawatts of consented renewable generation ready and waiting to be built. Now is the time to invest in the future, not drag New Zealand back to the past.