5:41 pm today
Line four at Tiwai Point has been idle since 2020.
Southland mayor Rob Scott is celebrating the potential return to full capacity of Tiwai Point's aluminium smelter.
Contact Energy has signed a letter of intent with Tiwai's owner, Rio Tinto, to deliver enough power to restart the smelter's dormant fourth potline by about 2030 and produce an extra 30,000 tonnes of aluminium a year.
The deal relies on a long-term power purchase arrangement that will help fund and justify the construction of the recently consented Southland Wind Farm, expected to be the largest in the country.
