Smelter deal by April or closure risk 'ratchets up': ForBarr

A deal on the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter electricity price needs to happen soon (Image: Getty)

Tue, 16 Jan 2024

Analysts at Forsyth Barr are giving until the end of April for new electricity contracts to be signed for the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.Any later, and “then the risk of closure starts to ratchet up by the week”, say Andrew Harvey-Green and Baxter Robb in the broking firm’s regular “Power Points” analysis for clients.However, “we are not greatly concerned by the time it has taken so far”, they said, while acknowledging their own prediction that a deal would be signed during 2023 between New Zealand A...

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