[5] In 2007, Huntly operated at a load factor of 85% and was providing a large amount of the baseload energy needs of the northern North Island.

[13] Previous to the substitution of coal, Huntly used gas from the fields to power the generation of the main units as well, but these were switched in the 1990s because of dwindling resources.

A new cooling tower has been built as part of expansion works at the site, which allows one 250 MW unit to run at full load even during such times.

The plant contributes over half of New Zealand's emissions of greenhouse gases from electricity generation,[16] has repeatedly drawn the ire of environmentalists and has been the focus of associated protests.

[4] A 2006 government report outlining future climate change mitigation and energy policies was seen by the operator as a sign that the plant might have to be closed by 2015 under these plans, with around 10 years of design life still remaining.

It was also noted that, apart from being difficult to replace as a source of power (due to New Zealand's annually growing generation demand, especially around Auckland), such a decision would also be uneconomical for the foreseeable future, even if coal prices were to rise.

[17] In May 2012, resource consent was granted by the Waikato Regional Council to continue running the gas and coal units for a period of 25 years.

[18] In April 2016, Genesis Energy announced that the Huntly Power Station would continue operation of its two remaining coal / gas burning units until December 2022.