New Zealand's Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) is New Zealand's only aluminium smelter and is located on Tiwai Peninsula, across the harbour from Bluff in Southland.
NZAS is 79.36 per cent owned by Rio Tinto and 20.64 per cent owned by Japan's Sumitomo Chemical Company. NZAS is a tolling plant, producing primary aluminium in the form of ingot, billet and rolling block. The majority of the plant's alumina is supplied from the Yarwun and Queensland Alumina refineries at Gladstone in Queensland, Australia. Around 90 per cent of the aluminium produced at NZAS is exported.
In the 1960s, Tiwai Point was chosen as the location for an aluminium smelter for a number of reasons. Aluminium smelting requires a large and very reliable power source to continually supply electricity to reduction cells, and Tiwai Point's proximity to the then proposed Manapouri Power Station made it an attractive location. In addition, Tiwai Point was close to the deep sea port of Bluff and the well established infrastructure of the City of Invercargill. The smelter commenced operations in 1971.
NZAS contributes $406 million to the Southland economy (6.5 per cent of Southland's GDP) with export revenue of around $1 billion each year. Approximately 990 full time equivalent employees and contractors work at the smelter.
In July 2020, Rio Tinto announced the planned wind-down of operations and eventual closure of NZAS, scheduled for August 2021. The decision followed a strategic review and extensive discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, which showed the business is no longer viable given high energy costs and a challenging outlook for the aluminium industry.
We will continue working with our partners as we progress towards closure, and will do all we can – together with the government – to find ways to support the Southland community.
Physical Address:
Tiwai Road
Invercargill, New Zealand
Phone : +64 3 218 5999
Postal Address:
NZAS
Private Bag 90110
Invercargill 9840, New Zealand
Courier Address:
NZAS
C/O 3 Spey Street
Invercargill, New Zealand
Wellington Office:
Level 10, 342 Lambton Quay
PO Box 1665
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 916 1496
776,000
$422 million
$600 million
