Economics of Tiwai Point smelter going backwards

Fri, 25 Sep 2015

By Pattrick Smellie Sept. 25 (BusinessDesk) - A "startling" slump in the price of aluminium on global markets is more than offsetting a 20 percent fall in the New Zealand dollar against the greenback, pushing the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter into negative cashflow, according to estimates by Wellington investment firm Woodward Partners. Woodward senior analyst John Kidd has begun producing a monthly "Tiwai-o-meter" to track the smelter's commercial viability as power companies and major energy users assess the outlook for electricity supp...

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