Rio Tinto and Contact Energy have signed a letter of intent to restart Line 4 at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. The move is supported by a power purchase agreement linked to the new Southland Wind Farm, which is expected to provide over 325MW of renewable electricity. Restarting the production line will require an additional 50MW of power and is projected to increase annual aluminium output by 30,000 tonnes. The project aims to strengthen New Zealand's position in the low carbon aluminium market with a target restart date of 2030.
