The Marsden Point oil refinery will likely be dismantled before Parliament’s Petitions Committee tables its report on an 18,300 signature petition calling for the refinery to remain operational.
The petition was presented to Parliament by Dr Shane Reti on December 8th on behalf of Social Credit who initiated it, yet the committee only considered it last week – 13 weeks later.
In a letter sent yesterday to committee chairperson, National’s Jacqui Dean, Social Credit leader Chris Leitch says “Last week the refinery received its final shipment of crude oil from overseas. When that has been processed the closure of the refinery will begin. That will be in just 18 days time”.
The committee has now requested further information, from presumably government departments and industry players, all of whom have already provided much input that formed the basis of a cabinet paper presented by Minister of Energy Megan Woods to cabinet last September.
“That process means the final report is unlikely to be tabled in Parliament before the middle of June at the very earliest and likely much later than that”, Mr Leitch wrote.
“By that time the refinery will be completely shut down and dismantling of it may well have commenced”.
“Should your committee report to Parliament a recommendation in favour of the petition it will then be a wasted effort on the part of approximately 18,300 New Zealanders to get their voice is heard on this vitally important energy security matter”.
“The continued operation of the refinery has become even more critical given the spike in fuel prices as a result of the Russia – Ukraine conflict”.
“There is a very real likelihood of worldwide crude oil and refined product shortages as countries like the United States and those in Europe scramble to replace the Russian oil they will no longer import as a result of sanctions on Russia and try to secure alternative sources”.
“It seems incomprehensible that the committee has not treated this matter with a great deal more urgency”.
Sadly it appears that despite having significant stocks of crude oil in Taranaki, should international fuel supplies be disrupted, New Zealand will not have the capacity to process its own oil to keep essential services running.
We are running towards our future with eyes wide shut and once we get there we will wonder how things came to be so bad…
Yet again we see foreign interests dictate the future of a critical strategic asset that the NZ Tax payer has invested millions into. Our Government and the oppostion National party have buried their heads in the sand and taken the industry’s assurance that supply is not at risk. Even if supplies remain available, what will be the cost?
An urgent reassessment of MBIE’s original advice to the Minister is required – with worldwide supply restrictions unfolding as they are is it too much to ask for an urgent review?
freeze the decommissioning process and nationalise now….bbbbut private property…don’t care if it’s working against the national interest..
.now it won’t help the supply issue one bit as you need oil to actually refine it..simples….
I’m in favour of eventual closure but not until any preferred alternatives are actually up and running…EVs cool let’s build charging stations everywhere, including them in all new builds by law, standardising a national connection(like domestic plugs) NOW, removing tax from EVs hell subsidise them….
but putting the cart before the horse by closing the refinery now is more than just stupid.