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Story: 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.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Janine Faulknor

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How to cite this page

David Grant, Southland region – Transport, power and other advances, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20116/aluminium-smelter-tiwai-point (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by David Grant, published 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