Marsden B power station

Marsden B is a moth-balled oil-fired 250 megawatt power station at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. The plant was originally conceived as a 500 megawatt plant comprising 2 x 250 megawatt plants burning waste oil from the nearby Marsden Point Oil Refinery. The plant was never commissioned and, in response to rising oil prices, was mothballed in 1979.

In 2003 Mighty River Power proposed the plant be converted to being a coal-fired power station. However, a strong campaign including legal action resulted in the proposal being abandoned. In 2009, Mighty River Power sold the plant for $20 million to an Indian company, United Telecom. 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.

Genesis of the proposal
The original power station was conceived of and built as an oil-fired plant in the 1970's. However, by the time it was completed in the early 1980's, oil prices had risen substantially and cheaper alternatives were available in the hydroelectric generation of the South Island. As a result Marsden B was never commissioned. (It was to be a brother station to Marsden A and 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 equipment was 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.

The plant has recently gained notoriety because the state owned enterprise Mighty River Power has proposed refiring Marsden B 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

Timeline of the Marsden B's Rises and Falls

 * June 2003: Mighty River Power announces that, following a "positive engineering report on the state of the plant" it was seeking the necessary permits to open the plant as an oil-fired "dry year reserve plant". Following the rebuff, Mighty River Power came to view the mothballed plant as having "considerable potential" as a "low cost coal-fired power station". The New Zealand government subsequently rejected the proposal.


 * August 2004: Mighty River Power announces the start of a public consultation process as part of seeking resource consents for a coal-fired generation plant at its Marsden Point site.


 * 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. (Mighty River Power subsequently attempted to sue the four activists for their occupation of the roof.


 * July - August 2005: Commissioners acting for the Northland Regional Council hear submissions on the proposal. Greenpeace brings experts from Australia and the United States. Greenpeace release documents revealing that Northland Regional Council had sought a supportive submission from the Government "that clearly outlines the national context to power generation and the place of the Marsden B project."


 * 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. Mighty River also appealed against some of the conditions.


 * 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 Zealand.


 * Mighty River Power seek costs against Greenpeace over their Environment Court appeal.


 * September 2006: DOC issue their interim decision to allow Mighty River Power 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.

Related Sourcewatch Articles

 * Mighty River Power

Media Releases by Mighty River Power

 * Mighty River Power, "Mighty River Opts to Discontinue Marsden B Consent Plans". Media Release, March 7, 2007.

Media Releases By Greenpeace

 * Greenpeace (New Zealand), "VICTORY! Greenpeace shuts down a New Zealand coal plant for good", Media Release, April 9, 2007.

General Articles

 * Anysley Kellow, "Transforming Power: The Politics of Electricity Planning", Cambridge University Press, 1996.
 * Ministry of Economic development, "New Zealand's Energy Composition and Future Needs: Submission on the Marsden B Power Station Re-Powering Project", March 1, 2005.
 * Protest image