Tiwai Point: 20 More Years

In late May 2024, three electricity deals to keep the lights on at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter beyond 2024 were completed, after almost two years of negotiation. The smelter is New Zealand’s largest electricity consumer, using 5TWh a year, or around 12% of New Zealand’s electricity, so it is a big deal. The supply contracts are important not only for the Southland community, but the wider electricity sector. The contracts come at a time when electricity demand is growing for the first time in 15 years.