It might not be all bad for the South - when the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closes
It might not be all bad for the South - when the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closes
10 August 2020
Rio Tinto plans to wrap up its operations in Southland in August next year - causing around 2,600 job losses.
Energy Trusts of New Zealand's Alan Jenkins says as it's the country's biggest power user - it'll leave the grid with a surplus of 13 percent.
He says transmission costs are a big part of what drives prices up - so Southland should see cheaper power.
Jenkins says their local generators will have a lot more power to sell - and it's cheaper to sell it locally than send it all up North.
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