Marsden B
Encyclopedia
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 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.
. 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. The proposal drew record numbers of submissions mostly in opposition. Greenpeace New Zealand staged an occupation of the site in 2005.
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
near the Marsden Point Oil Refinery
Marsden Point Oil Refinery
Marsden Point Oil Refinery is located at Marsden Point, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. It is the only oil refinery in New Zealand, and is operated by Refining NZ....
at Marsden Point
Marsden Point
Marsden Point is a head of the Whangarei Harbour, near Whangarei, New Zealand, lying close to the northern tip of Bream Bay. It is also a major industrial area, containing Marsden Point Oil Refinery, the country's only such facility, and two large defunct power plant stations...
, Ruakaka
Ruakaka
Ruakaka is a small township in the north of New Zealand approximately 30 kilometres south of Whangarei in the Bream Bay area. Originally a small beachside community, Ruakaka has seen development due to its proximity to the expansion of the country's only oil refinery at Marsden Point during the 1980s...
, Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Due to rising oil prices, the plant was mothballed in 1978 without ever being commissioned. The Marsden site also includes the Marsden A
Marsden A
Marsden A was a 250MW oil fired power station near the Marsden Point Oil Refinery at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. It was built in the 1970s, and acted as an emergency reserve power station, serving the load centre of Auckland to the south...
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
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
protests and created drawn-out legal challenges before this proposal was also eventually abandoned.
History
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 IslandSouth Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. It was to be a station associated with Marsden A
Marsden A
Marsden A was a 250MW oil fired power station near the Marsden Point Oil Refinery at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. It was built in the 1970s, and acted as an emergency reserve power station, serving the load centre of Auckland to the south...
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
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
railway, the Marsden Point Branch
Marsden Point Branch
The Marsden Point Branch is a proposed branch line railway in the Northland region of New Zealand's North Island. It would diverge from the North Auckland Line south of Whangarei and serve Northland Port at Marsden Point...
, to carry in the quantity of coal required. The proposal drew record numbers of submissions mostly in opposition. Greenpeace New Zealand staged an occupation of the site in 2005.
Protest timeline
The following is a timeline of the events associated with the proposed coal-fired reactivation:- October 2004: Mighty River Power lodge application with Northland Regional Council for resource consent to refire Marsden B power station on coal.
- February 2005: Greenpeace occupies the roof of Marsden B for 9 days, bringing national attention to the issue. Jointly, with local community groups, Greenpeace asks the Minister for the Environment to "call in" the project, so that the government must make a decision on the project. They refuse. The three activists come down on the day submissions close. A record 4000 submissions are received by the court, almost all opposing it.
- July - August 2005: Commissioners acting for the Northland Regional Council hear submissions on the proposal. Greenpeace brings experts from Australia and the United States.
- September 2005: Mighty River Power, a Government owned power company, was granted a resource consent by the Northland Regional Council to reopen the power station as a coal-fired plant. It is the first major coal-fired power station in New Zealand for over 25 years.
- October 2005: Greenpeace and other community groups lodged an appeal to the Environment Court.
- February 2006: Mighty River Power called for proceedings in the overall appeal to be put on hold while it negotiated access to Department of Conservation (DOC) land.
- Mighty River Power submitted to the Environment Court that climate change could not be considered in the overall appeal.
- July 2006: The Environment Court made its decision regarding the relevance of climate change to the overall appeal, saying that climate change is not a relevant consideration that needed to be taken into account when approving Marsden B.
- August 2006: Greenpeace appealed the decision on climate change to the High Court of New ZealandHigh Court of New ZealandThe High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....
.
- September 2006: DOC issue their interim decision to allow MRP access to DOC land for a coal conveyor for Marsden B.
- October 2006: The High Court overturned the Environment Court decision and said that climate change does need to be considered.
- November 2006: Submissions closed to DOC regarding allowing Mighty River access to DOC land for a coal conveyor belt.
- Mighty River Power appealed the High Court decision to the Court of Appeal. Genesis Energy indicated their interest in joining the appeal on Mighty River's side.
- January 2007: The Department of Conservation hearing on 30–31 January 2007, to hear submissions on Mighty River's plans to put a coal conveyor belt across conservation land. Greenpeace, community groups and individuals made submissions at the hearing. Over 1,400 written submissions were received by DOC and almost all opposed the plan.
- March 2007: Mighty River Power abandons its coal plans at Marsden B.