The expected closure of rio tintos tiwai point aluminium smelter in the. Casual cleaners tiwai aluminum smelter spotless group auckland, auckland, new zealand 1 day ago be among the first 25 applicants. New zealands aluminium smelter nzas converts alumina into aluminium using renewable hydroelectricity, resulting in one of the lowest carbon footprints for an aluminium smelter in the world. Rio tintos tiwai point aluminium smelter should it stay or should it. Park in the visitors carpark on your right as you drive into the site. With proven knowhow in the field of thermal construction, insulation linings and trading of refractory products, we provide excellent refractory engineering solutions. The troubled aluminium smelter uses about 12 percent of new zealands electricity every year, pays tens of millions of dollars every year for electricity infrastructure it doesnt use and employs 1,000 kiwis. The tiwai point aluminium smelter is always running. Commissioned in 1971 it is operated by new zealand smelters ltd nzas. Is a closure team heading to the tiwai point aluminium smelter or is it a.
The aluminum smelting process and innovative alternative. New zealands aluminium smelter reopens its fourth potline previously mothballed in 2012 due to high aluminium prices and rising power prices. Jan 23, 2018 at times the fire was 400 meters from the smelter complex and 100 meters from the main lines that supply power to the smelter. To maintain temperatures of over degrees celsius in its electrolysis pots, the tiwai smelter consumes % of new zealands total electricity supply. The national power grid would need costly investment if tiwai point aluminium smelter closes, but it could reduce new zealands reliance on fossil fuels, a report by genesis energy suggests. Courier driver fired over parcels dumped on south auckland street.
The mars climate orbiter crashed in september 1999 because of a silly mistake. New zealand aluminium smelters nzas southland chamber of. It imports alumina and processes it into primary aluminium. German firm turns aluminum smelter into a virtual battery. A deal has been signed that allows aluminium production to continue at bluffs tiwai point smelter, meaning a huge sigh of relief for. Smelter may save millions on power otago daily times online news. World aluminium production exceeds 60 million tonnes annually. The tiwai point aluminium smelter may end up paying millions of dollars less in electricity transmission costs, but its boss is far from impressed. Marc daalder is a political reporter based in wellington who covers climate change, energy, primary industries, technology and the farright. Tiwai speculation prompts transpower to restart network. Rio tintos tiwai point aluminium smelter should it stay.
The tiwai point aluminium smelter will remain open, with meridian energy remaining its sole electricity supplier at an undisclosed but somewhat improved electricity price for about 30 percent of the smelter s total consumption. The 1988 shooting down of the airbus 320 by the uss vincennes was attributed to the cryptic and misleading output displayed by the tracking software. In 2003, stock trading was suspended at the new zealand stock exchange on wednesday morning because of problems with a software upgrade at an associated share registry. In this article, the author examines some of the history of the industry. The tiwai point aluminium smelter has slumped to a large loss. The latest result from the new zealand aluminium smelter limited was a real tearjerker.
The tiwai point aluminium smelter, which employs about southlanders, has been exempted from the fourweek lockdown of new zealand. Smelter spokeswoman jen nolan declined to comment on wednesday and chief executive stew hamilton could not be contacted. German firm turns aluminum smelter into a virtual battery trimet tests technology to create 1. Tiwai point aluminium smelter nzas as seen from bluff hill. The decision to keep the smelter running came just a week before the deadline for tiwai s owners, multinational mining company rio tinto, to announce the results of a. Smelting needs a lot of power it uses electricity equivalent to 776,000 households, or percent of all the power used in new zealand. Nzas is a tolling plant, producing primary aluminium in the form of ingot, billet.
Home, new zealands aluminium smelter, tiwai point, manapouri. New zealands aluminium smelter location tiwai point. The ease with which aluminum can be resmelted, without losing durability or modifying its original properties, allowed it to become a highvalue recycled commodity, serving as a cornerstone for the recycling industry. Tiwai point aluminium smelter profitable in 2016 despite. Modular mining develops intelligent software solutions to facilitate. Follow the concrete path to the reception area to the right of the security gatehouse. The electric power supply system for potline 3 was designed, manufactured and installed by abb in close cooperation with the iceland. The software helps you to answer questions or to solve problems of every day aluminum production as well as of research and development. Marc daalder reports from inside the smelter on a decision that could reshape our economy and climate change plans. At the anode, carbon is oxidized to form carbon dioxide gas. Reopening could take months and cost millions of dollars. Rio tinto and the cabinet are set to decide within weeks whether to close the tiwai point aluminium smelter or use taxpayer funds to keep it open.
Clutha upper waitaki lines project and tiwai future faqs. The tiwai point aluminium smelter has slumped to a large loss because of volatile prices and power costs. The tiwai point smelters future hangs in the balance. Heat recovery from the exhaust gas of aluminum reduction cells 60 ects thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science reykjavik university school of science and engineering menntavegur 1, nautholsvik 101 reykjavik iceland phone. Aluminum copper smelter this is the al melting furnace for the electronic induction design application ranges nonferrous and ferrous metals melting precious metal melting, like gold, sliver, platinum,etc.
Shutting down the tiwai point smelter could take a week or more. This is a list of primary aluminium smelters in the world. Jul 27, 2018 the tiwai point aluminium smelter has employed most if its 90 extra staff and is now training them, bringing the total number of workers at the plant to 900, including contractors. Semiconductor material melting specialized steel, iron, copper melting metal alloy melting, like aluminum alloy, zinc alloy, copper alloy,etc. About 90% of the 360ktpa aluminium produced is exported. Fresh crews were bought in this morning to relieve the night shift and work continues to put the fire out.
Tiwai point aluminium smelter uses per cent of new zealands power. Relief in southland and for the workers at the tiwai point aluminium smelter after a deal was struck to secure the plants short term future. Production costs for smelters are highly dependent on the global economic environment, which affects oil prices, and the prices of other commodities, including those that create smelters input costs. Tiwai point aluminium smelter squarely in the black. Cells are now typically 9 to 18 m long, 3 to 5 m wide, and 1 to 1. Global aluminium smelters production costs on decline. The previous record production was 352,976 tonnes in 2007. Workers seen casting aluminium during prime minister jacinda ardens visit to tiwai point aluminium smelter in december last year.
While its news was met with cynicism by stakeholders, and the government ruled out giving it a subsidy, it was a bombshell nonetheless. Despite rising costs and their impact upon the firms bottom line, new zealand aluminium smelter limited nzas still turned a profit in 2016. Nzas will work on winding down the pot line this week, and reallocate 35 staff to its three other. The tiwai smelter uses hydropower making it among the cleanest aluminum plants in the world. On the other hand, saving it might require a cash injection of tens of millions of dollars. A detailed analysis of the tiwai point aluminium smelter. Well, there is agreement that the aluminium smelted at tiwai is some of the lowest carbon, highestpurity aluminium in the world. It sits in the middle of bluff harbour, with bluff visible in the top left. Nzas chief executive stew hamilton confirmed members of the rio tinto closure team would travel to tiwai next week and be at the smelter. Tiwai points new zealand aluminium smelter nzas is under threat of closure. Bluff aluminium smelter could close taking power prices. Aluminum remelt plant textile dyepigment plant liquidation aluminum smelting equipment 150,000 bpd refinery units zsk300 extruder used on polypropylene anhydrous caustic soda naoh plant 125kt 400 tpd sulfuric acid, chemetic design, 1996 50kt phthalic anhydride plant refrigerants r4ar125 plant with technology, 1990s.
Future of tiwai point smelter up in the air rnz news. Rio tintos dangling the potential closure of tiwai point. Tiwai point aluminium smelter, near bluff in southland. Tiwai aluminium smelter staff support southlands crisis. Tiwai point the tiwai point aluminium smelter is an aluminium smelter owned by rio tinto group 79. Advanced power supply equipment for new aluminium smelter potline. The smelter is located on tiwai peninsula in southland and the majority of the plants alumina is supplied from our yarwun operation and queensland. Only one other plant in the world comes close, that being an alcoa smelter in tennessee. A software malfunction in 2011 meant telecom customers hit their monthly cap earlier than they should have leading to extra charges andor throttling. Tiwai smelter deal signed between meridian energy and nzas. Tiwai waste a hot potato no one wants to hold rnz news. Extra power for smelter in tiwai deal otago daily times.
New zealand smelter achieves record productivity while. Management team home, new zealands aluminium smelter. New zealands only aluminium smelter at tiwai point, southland, is on notice as its owners face up to challenging market conditions and high. An aluminium smelter was already operating at tiwai point when the smelter at. A modest proposal for the future of the smelter at tiwai. Restart of the project will depend on a range of factors, such as the size of the demand reduction announced, the actual grid configuration at the time, deliverability and length of the notice period, system. Our product home, new zealands aluminium smelter, tiwai. Many of the key elements that are necessary to produce very high purity ingot were in place at the very beginning of the 20th century. The tiwai point aluminium smelter, which has been running continuously since it launched in 1971, will continue to produce the valuable light metals even as the rest of the country shuts down for at least four weeks. At the cathode, electrolysis reduces aluminum ions to aluminum metal. The future of the tiwai point aluminium smelter appears to have become a little more secure, with the rio tintocontrolled plant thought to be roughly breaking even, largely thanks to a lower new zealand dollar and the fact the price of alumina has fallen more than that of the finished product. Under rio tintos 20 electricity supply agreement with meridian energy, it has to give notice if it intends to end the contract or reduce.
A rio tinto closure team will arrive at the tiwai point aluminium smelter near bluff next week to assess what needs to be done if a decision is made to close the site. According to reports, the tiwai point aluminium smelter will continue to produce the valuable light metals even as the rest of the country shuts down for at least four weeks. The aluminum smelting process developed by hall resulted. However, the firm warns that, should relief for its rising power costs not be forthcoming, the financial numbers in coming years may be printed with red ink. In 2011 the smelter produced a record amount of aluminium, 354,030 saleable tonnes. Closing the smelter would also dictate that several other power stations would have to close as well, if manapouris power was to be used by other consumers instead. The depth of the operating cell cavity is relatively low, however, only 0. Tiwai point aluminium smelter near bluff is one of the few big manufacturing businesses working through the lockdown. However, this is a reflection of the energy source more than.
The future of the smelter hangs in the balance as rio looks to sell many of its. Renewal metal is externally certified to have smelting emissions of less than four tonnes of co 2 per tonne of aluminium. Mining giant rio tinto has walked away from talks with the government over the future of tiwai point aluminium smelter, prime minister john key has confirmed this morning. Rio tinto to consider tiwai aluminium smelter closure in new zealand. The long standing association with tiwai smelter has enabled yunca. New zealands aluminium smelter new zealands aluminium smelter nzas is new zealands only aluminium smelter and is located on tiwai peninsula, across the harbour from bluff in southland. Nzas reopens upgraded potline 4 at tiwai point smelter. After approx 7 km, take the left exit bend onto motu rimu road sweeping bend sign posted to tiwai after 0. For this purpose you use interactive web pages or pcprograms that you may download and install on your computer. Smelter delivers significantly reduced profit for 2018 and remains. Nzs only aluminium smelter seeks government support amid.
Expansion at tiwai point aluminium smelter with 4th. Tiwai s aluminium is by far the purest in the world. Jul 21, 2015 smelting aluminum is a hot, thirsty business. If the tiwai smelter announces it is reducing demand rather than closing would this trigger the remainder of works on cuwlp. The tiwai point aluminium smelter is an aluminium smelter owned by rio tinto group 79. Tiwai point aluminium smelter the smelter currently consists of 3 lines of p69 technology cells, with 208 cells each i. The smelter, which employs more than 3000 people in southland, had claimed its future was in doubt as it sought to cut the price of its electricity supplies through a contract with meridian.
May 08, 2014 thus, the aluminum atoms are formed from aluminumcontaining ions that are reduced at the electrolytealuminum interface. The wing roots of the airbus a380 are made from it. However, it is understood new zealand aluminium smelters is now working through the. For instance, during the global economic crisis in 2009, production costs for aluminium smelters decreased between 30 and 40% compared to the record high costs in. Concern lingers for tiwai point aluminium smelters future.
Tiwai point smelter closure could affect south island. New zealands aluminium smelter nzas officially reopened the line on thursday, adding another 31 thousand metric tons per annum to the plants nameplate capacity. Apr 02, 20 too much is at stake with the smelter to leave it to a stateappointed board. Our massena west smelter in new york state, established in 1902, is the longest continuously operating smelter in the world. On the one hand, the tiwai point aluminium smelter employs 1,000 southlanders. It is one of only two smelters in the world producing ultrahigh purity aluminium.
Tiwai point aluminium smelter, bluff bonisch consultants. The tiwai point aluminium smelter looks likely to stay open, according to the company most closely associated with its daily operations. Tiwai point aluminium smelter report wood mackenzie. Thats because shutting it down properly takes weeks, and restarting it takes. May 08, 2014 aluminum al is a raw material of sustainability in the built environment, technology, and the modern economy. Jan 24, 2018 the efforts to contain a fire near bluff, southland which burnt conservation wetlands and threatened power lines and operations at the aluminium smelter at tiwai point. Primary production is the process by which alumina is smelted to pure aluminum metal. New zealand aluminium smelter limited nzas is a joint venture operation owned by pacific aluminium new zealand limited 79. Liupanshui aluminium smelter report wood mackenzie. Startup of the new line 3, which has 160 pots, has increased the annual production capacity of the plant by 62,000 tonnes. A decision on the future of the tiwai point aluminium smelter at bluff has been delayed for a month. Writedown of tiwai point aluminium smelter australian mining. Heat recovery from the exhaust gas of aluminum reduction cells.
Rio tinto to scale back new zealand aluminum smelter. Tiwai is one of very few smelters powered by renewable electricity, although it is still far from carbon zero the carbon anodes yield one molecule of co2 for every molecule of aluminium metal. From the time the three big stateowned power generators were partly privatised in 20, the possible closure of the tiwai point aluminium smelter was highlighted as a risk. Assesses the future of the tiwai point aluminium smelter in southland, which might close over the next few years as a consequence of increased electricity costs following the partial privatisation of the electricity sector and lower world prices for aluminium. Tiwai aluminium smelter presented a donation of food and supermarket vouchers to the southland foodbank and the salvation army on friday morning. Tiwai point has tried to stay competitive in the global aluminium market by focusing on the top end. Rio tinto considering closing tiwai aluminium smelter. Pacific aluminium, the managing partner, is a wholly owned subsidiary of rio tinto group. Its one of only two smelters in the world producing ultrahigh purity aluminium, which goes. Secondary production is the process of recycling aluminum scrap into aluminum that can be used again. Reform proposal big blow to tiwai aluminium smelter. The sumitomo group is one of the largest japanese keiretsu, or business groups, founded by masatomo sumitomo around 1615.
Do both rio tinto and the government want tiwai smelter. Tiwai point is new zealands only aluminium smelter. Tiwai point smelter looks safe, despite global glut. Rio tinto is considering closing down the new zealands aluminium smelter nzas at tiwai.
New zealands aluminium smelter nzas is new zealands only aluminium smelter and is located on tiwai peninsula, across the harbour from bluff in southland. Tiwai smelter deadline delayed by a month newscomau. This guarantees that the aluminium is made from traceable raw materials and is produced with electricity from low carbon sources, using world class smelting processes. The topic commences in 1904, with the first consideration of the hydroelectric potential of lakes manapouri and te anau, and concludes in 1969 with the signing of the industry agreement which confirmed the construction of an aluminium smelter at tiwai point, bluff.
The tiwai point aluminium smelter s future seems more secure after it announced it will reboot its mothballed fourth potline, having secured a more than fouryear electricity deal with meridian energy. Tiwai point smelter s chances looking better meridian rising electricity prices hit bottom line at tiwai point. Thats 570 megawatts of power every hour, and the sites international owners get that power at a fraction of the price you pay. The facility, new zealands only aluminium smelter, is at tiwai point, near bluff. Jul 01, 2015 the tiwai point aluminium smelter will get an extra month to sort out its electricity needs under a deal with provider meridian. It is sought after and used by the japanese electronics industry and european aircraft manufacturers amongst others. It sounds like a simple case of deciding between jobs and the balance sheet but its far from straightforward. Tiwai is close to power generation, and the fact that its hydro power makes it the cleanest operating smelter in the world. Aluminium smelting requires a large and very reliable power source to continually supply electricity to reduction cells, and tiwai points proximity to the then. This website is dedicated to software for aluminum smelting. Aluminium smelters are notoriously difficult to close and reopen. Decision on rio tintos tiwai point smelter and 800 jobs. The save aramoana campaign was formed in 1974 to oppose a proposed aluminium smelter at aramoana in new zealand in the late 1970s aramoana was proposed as the site of a major aluminium smelter by a consortium of new zealandbased fletcherchallenge, australias csr limited and swiss firm alusuisse. The efforts to contain a fire near bluff, southland which burnt conservation wetlands and threatened power lines and operations at the aluminium smelter at tiwai point.
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