NZ Utilities: New Zealand Aluminium Smelters to Operate Until 2044
In a positive for the utilities, Rio Tinto has agreed to electricity supply contracts to operate New Zealand Aluminium Smelters until Dec. 31, 2044. The smelter, which accounts for about 13% of New Zealand’s electricity demand, threatened to close in 2020 because of weak aluminum prices, and its future remained uncertain until this announcement. Its closure would likely have caused much lower wholesale electricity prices for the medium term, hurting utility earnings.