Table of Contents
- 1 Where are the biggest Aluminium smelters in the world?
- 2 How many people work at the Tiwai smelter?
- 3 Why is Tiwai Point closing?
- 4 Which country produces most aluminium?
- 5 Where is aluminium made in NZ?
- 6 How much electricity does the Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter use?
- 7 What will happen to Tiwai Point?
- 8 What has been proposed for Southlands Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter when it closes?
- 9 Who are the owners of the New Zealand aluminium smelter?
- 10 Where does New Zealand get its alumina from?
- 11 When was the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter built?
Where are the biggest Aluminium smelters in the world?
China Hongqiao
China Hongqiao China Hongqiao, right now, is the largest aluminium smelter in the world. With a combined annual capacity of 3.61 million tonnes, the Shandong province-based aluminium producer outpaced state-backed Aluminium Corporation of China and the erstwhile largest UC Rusal in a space of only two years.
How many people work at the Tiwai smelter?
1000 people
In 2020, the smelter’s majority owner Rio Tinto announced it would wind down the Tiwai plant – which employs 1000 people and creates a further 1600 indirect jobs – by August 2021 due to high energy and transmission costs.
Who owns Tiwai Point?
Rio Tinto Group
The Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter is an aluminium smelter owned by Rio Tinto Group (79.36%) and the Sumitomo Group (20.64%), via a joint venture called New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) Limited.
Why is Tiwai Point closing?
Rio Tinto U-turns on Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closure by extending ops to 2024. Rio Tinto had said in July last year that it would shut the smelter by August 2021 after a strategic review showed the business was no longer viable due to high energy costs and a challenging industry outlook.
Which country produces most aluminium?
China
Aluminum Production
| # | 41 Countries | Thousand Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | #1 China | 35,946.00 |
| 2 | #2 Russia | 3,554.37 |
| 3 | #3 India | 3,421.80 |
| 4 | #4 Canada | 3,255.98 |
How many smelters are there in the United States?
There are three operating copper smelters in the United States. The United States is a net exporter of copper ore and copper concentrate.
Where is aluminium made in NZ?
Tiwai Peninsula
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.
How much electricity does the Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter use?
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.
Where is aluminium found in NZ?
What will happen to Tiwai Point?
The threatened Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will keep operating through to the end of December 2024, in a new deal just announced to the New Zealand stock exchange. Mining conglomerate Rio Tinto announced last year it was closing Tiwai due to high energy and transmission costs.
What has been proposed for Southlands Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter when it closes?
Hydrogen plant
As the closure of Bluff’s Tiwai Point aluminium smelter looms, Contact Energy and Meridian Energy are looking for partners to develop what they say could be the world’s largest green hydrogen plant.
What has been proposed for Southland’s Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter when it closes?
It is investigating the use of renewable energy at Tiwai Point, in Southland, to produce green hydrogen at scale, once the supply agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters finishes at the end of 2024.
Who are the owners of the New Zealand aluminium smelter?
The international conglomerate Rio Tinto announced on July 9 that it will shut New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS), known as the Tiwai Point smelter, within 18 months. Jointly owned by Rio Tinto and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical Co, the smelter directly employs about 1,000 people and supports a further 1,600 jobs in the Southland province.
Where does New Zealand get its alumina from?
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.
When does Rio Tinto Aluminium smelter in New Zealand close?
MELBOURNE, Australia– (BUSINESS WIRE)– Rio Tinto has reached an agreement on a new electricity agreement with Meridian Energy that allows New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) to continue operating the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter until December 31, 2024.
When was the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter built?
The smelter was opened in 1971 following the construction of the Manapouri Power Station by the New Zealand government to supply it with electricity. It uses 13 percent of New Zealand’s electricity, and is reported to account for 10 percent of the Southland region’s economy.