| Marsden B Power Station | |
|---|---|
|
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Marsden Point, Northland |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Construction began | late 1970s |
| Commission date | was never commissioned |
| Owner(s) | Mighty River Power |
| Power station information | |
| Primary fuel | Fuel Oil |
| Cogeneration? | No |
| Combined cycle? | No |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 238 MW |
| Net generation | 0 GWh |
| As of November 2010 | |
Marsden B was an unused 250MW oil fired power station near the Marsden Point Oil Refinery at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. Due to rising oil prices, the plant was mothballed in 1978[1] without ever being commissioned. The Marsden site also includes the Marsden A power station, now a synchronous compensation facility owned and operated by Mighty River Power.
Various schemes have been considered for reviving the plant, spanning a range of fuels and technologies. International sale of the generating equipment was also pursued. A 2004 proposal to refurbish it for coal-fired use drew major environmental protests and created drawn-out legal challenges before this proposal was also eventually abandoned.
Contents |
Marsden B was built as an oil fired plant but never commissioned, due to rising oil prices and cheaper alternatives available from natural gas and from the hydroelectric generation of the South Island. It was to be a station associated with Marsden A and was built next to it on the same site.
A program of extended maintenance was undertaken with the major components being "preserved" with anti-rust chemical coatings and regular inspection. This "mothballing" was put into place as an economy measure should demand ever make its use an economical proposition. At various times, some items of auxiliary equipment were removed and relocated to other power stations around the country. The exhaust chimneys for both stations were brought down after partial dismantling of Marsden A.
In 2004, Mighty River Power proposed modification of Marsden B for operation on coal. This revived a 1970s proposal, and would require the construction of a branch line railway, the Marsden Point Branch, to carry in the quantity of coal required.[2] The proposal drew record numbers of submissions mostly in opposition. Greenpeace New Zealand staged an occupation of the site in 2005.[3]
The following is a timeline of the events associated with the proposed coal-fired reactivation:
In 2009, Mighty River Power sold the Marsden B plant for $20 million to an Indian company, United Telecom.[1] Resource consents for dismantling the plant were granted in June 2011, and the 20,000 tonnes of plant and equipment was dismantled later in 2011.[4][5]