Marsden B power station sold
It's the end of a legend that never got started, a legend that goes back to the Muldoon "Think Big" era.
The massive Marsden B Power station south of Whangarei has been sold without ever turning out a single watt of electricity.
Built as part of "Think Big" in the early 1970s, the oil-fired station was immediately mothballed largely because of the oil crisis of that decade. It was never fired up in anger.
Mighty River Power wound up acquiring the station as part of the electricity reforms in 1999.
Mighty River's plan was to convert the plant to run on coal, being a less expensive fuel than oil. But the company was forced to drop those plans after 4000 submissions were made by locals who were vehemently opposed to the idea. Left with something of a white elephant, Mighty River decided to look for a buyer who would dismantle it and take it overseas.
Mighty River has confirmed that a buyer has been found but says it is not yet in a position to announce any details.
But locals say they've heard that the buyer is from India and plans to re-establish the station there.
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Comments and questions18
Had it not been for the shortsighted 4000, the Auckland area would probably now have a more reliable power supply.
Perhaps the 4000 will identify themselves, and disconnect from the National Grid.
The 'ThinkBig' projects actually bought a significant number of new skills, and employment, to NZ at the time.
Sadly we wern't mature enough as a Nation to appreciate teh opportunities, preferring instead to be leads by a few misguided ideologically deluded academics.
As an immigrant of 15 years standing in NZ it always amazes me that kiwis can talk with such disdain of the think big projects, when they are totday reaping the benefits of some of those projects, with some others never having been properly followed through - I wish we had a few of those projects on the go today!!
Have you been in a coma for the last 30 years or are you just ignorant of the outdated technology that was going to be used to fire up the Marsden B station to run on coal? Why would we in NZ adopt practices that have been outlawed in most other OECD countries? I suggest that if anybody is shortsighted then it is you. Stop your whining and go and do something useful to help NZ. If you are really such a keen suporter of coal for electrical generation I suggest you move to China where you will be able to reap the benefits of "cheap" reliable power.
Why indeed if the oil/ coal in India is carbon neutral and also offsets the cost of carbon to ship the dismantled Plant there.
Dear reader,
I think that with this new flywheel internal combustion engine that is 98.4 efficient on combustion and the 2/3rd negative compression stroke is turned into a 2/3rd positive energy stroke, running on natural gas or similar gasses (better if it is Bio Gas) this technology could this a very profitable investment.
If you are interested please reply to
dugalharcourt@yahoo.com.au
Given that the Government is looking to loosen the restrictions under the RMA maybe it's time to consider re-using the site for a coal-fired power station. While 4,000 protests may have been made, the arguments set out in the MED submission are compelling and possibly more relevant today than they were in 2005. While I'm not a particular fan of coal, it does offer some advantages at the moment to gas (particularly in continued availability) and the sites location north of Auckland means it won't incur additional grid problems. While the equipment may be shipped off, it might be time to consider re-using the site. The cost of doing nothing appears higher than the cost of seeing if the Government will allow the project through.
Just a thought.
I quote if I recall correctly, by Lenin: "Useful idiots are those who can not comprehend the results of their actions."
Surelyteh time has arrived to shut up the cynics and the evergreens go no where folk and build 2 nuclear plants, which will resolve ALL NZ supply issues
I to agree about the rubbish talked regarding Think Big. Those projects(well most of them) have never stopped producing benefits for NZ. How could anyone say the Clyde Dam is not a huge asset of this country?
People who bag Muldoon and Think Big forget what a legacy those assets are to this country and most of them bagging him now(especially half the news media) would not have been game enough to do it when he was alive and in full flight.
The irony is that the coal conversion proposal was shut down not only by NIMBYs but also because of the Labour/Green ban on new fossil fuel generation because of carbon emissions. The relocated plant will still end up generating the same emissions, but India will get the benefit of the electricity. So NZ shoots itself in the foot and then fails to save the planet anyway!
I wonder if these electric generators could be driven by a new flywheel (F-W) engine that could use natural --bio gas etc to drive these generators. This (F-W)engine is 98 to 100% efficiency from the combustion against the cylinder-heads (that rotate the F-w engine) this same combustion force is also against the piston and this energy is transferred across the diameter line of the F-W and this drives the compressing piston to TDC.
This action eliminates the some 2/3rds negative to obtain compression for combustion to take place; and turn's it into a new positive rotating force of some 2/3rds as the piston is driven up the cylinder bore with no losses and causes compression force against its cylinder-head, thus providing an additional rotational turning force to the F-W of some 2/3rds--both the compression and combustion are all 100% positive all provide rotation all delivered on the point of maximum leverage to rotate the F-W--these system complies with Einstein--Archimedes-- and Newtons laws.
What a shame that Marsden B is not dismantled permanently and sold as scrap metal. What a shame we no longer think big and grow our renewable energy industry and export such a vital commodity to the rest of the world. What a shame that we now lack any climate policy and are seen as the bad boys on the international block of climate change. Losing our clean green image is going to have dire consequences for us. A hearty thank you to the 4000 visionary people who opposed the re-firing of this archaic technology.
CS - The only viable renewable energy industries I know of are hydro and wind generation. How do you propose exporting them? And why do you think scrapping Marsden B would make any difference to climate? 3rd World countries need energy and they will get it the cheapest way possible, despite the eco-Nazis that would like to stop them.
I think all of the commentators, and us, the real owners of the plant have lost sight of the fact that oil is now cheaper, and we have huge reserves of coal. The plant is there at our cost so we should be using it. Let the greens and all other idiots that still cling to the myth that global warming is man - and cow - made. CO2, H2O and even CH4 are all "natural" products that "nature" is well able to maintain control over without our puny efforts to intercede.
Your reporter says the project was axed because of the 4000 opponents. That's not the case. It was simply that the econmics did not stake up following the Labour governments interference in the market pricing of coal.
The bottom line is as others have said. We now have an energy shortage. Nuclear energy is now offering itself as the "green" alternative! Perhaps green socialists should think about that.
Clearly a topic that generates more heat than light. I worked on Marsden B and knew it was a white elephant before it was completed. Coal, nuclear and gas are NOT the way forward, folks. The most efficient thing Kiwis have to create energy is their rubbish, which includes all the woodwaste from forestry. All of these incomplete solutions will only serve to make us less clean and green. If you want a sensible idea, consider the Global Olivine solution. It's bloody obvious...
As an ex employee of the CEGB in the UK, I find it unreal that the government of NZ will not spend the money on filtering the exhaust of a coal fired power station. The technology is freely available to those who want it and who wish to pay for it.. As for the PFA being waste this is not the case, PFA is mixed with cement as an additive to form a very usefull building material. it has been used in various projects around the world.
As the expansion of northport takes place, this would be of some use in the construction of the new rail link.
As always the Green element has called the shots, they will wake up one day,i hope, if the lights are still on.
When the power cuts come (and they will) their lights go off first and come on last.
Of course we can always use nuclear energy.
This is clean and safe if handled correctly, we send the spent fuel rods to France, then its their problem.
Remember the Rainbow warrior.
I think this makes sense,having lived through strikes and power cuts.
As the song says ,You dont know how lucky you are.
Most of the wingers appear to be HIGHLY QUALIFIED!! & PROBABLY HIGHLY PAYED & work in the highlt protected non productive areas of Govt jobs etc!
I would think that most of these 4000 objectors, have never ever had to mortague their homes, farms--or famly homes or properties etc raise additional cash capital, that is necessary to increase production that in turn brings the much needed cash to run the NZ economy.Or ever produced 1 additional cent of export income for this country that is required to pay for their fuels to run their imported cars home heating comforts etc!! an oldfart WHO HAS PRODUCED MUCH INCOME FOR THIS COUNTRY OF NZ AND HAD TO PAY A VERY HIGH PRICE ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS IN THE HIGH RISK TAKING NZ EXPORT EARNING SECTORS