Contact signs deal to restart Line 4 potline at Tiwai Point aluminium smelter
New Zealand energy company Contact has signed a deal to restart Line 4 potline at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, RNZ reports. The line has been idle since 2020.
New Zealand energy company Contact has signed a deal to restart Line 4 potline at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, RNZ reports. The smelter, in the country's south, accounts for a significant share of New Zealand's electricity consumption.
The report says the line has been idle since 2020. Restarting it will increase the smelter's production capacity and, with it, electricity demand, a closely watched issue for the country's energy supply-and-demand balance.
The agreement is seen as part of long-running discussions over electricity supply between the energy company and the smelter. RNZ notes that the development also matters for local employment and the regional economy.
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