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Kōrero: Southland region

Aluminium smelter, Tīwai Point

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Aluminium smelter, Tīwai Point

The New Zealand aluminium smelter plant at Tīwai Point, opposite Bluff, makes aluminium from bauxite shipped from Queensland, Australia. It is powered from the Manapōuri hydroelectric power station in Fiordland. The plant uses about 15,000 MWh of electricity per day – the annual consumption of a thousand average households. It earns about $1.5 billion per year, mostly from sales in Japan and other parts of Asia. The smelter is expected to cease production in 2024.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Janine Faulknor

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

David Grant, Southland region – Transport, power and other advances, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/20116/aluminium-smelter-tiwai-point (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā David Grant, i tāngia i te 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.

Comments

Philip Lyall
27 March 2024
Hi, Your power consumption numbers are wrong as Manapouri only produces 800 MWh