GUEST BLOG: Chris Leitch – Jet Fuel Crisis Predicted
The current crisis likely to lead to severe jet fuel rationing in the lead up to Christmas completely vindicates Social Credit’s campaign to get the government to keep the Marsden Point Oil refinery operational.
That campaign was supported by 18,500 New Zealanders who signed a petition, presented to Parliament exactly twelve months ago, calling on the government to buy out the oil company owners and ensure fuel security for the country.
Rationing of up to twenty five percent is likely which will cause severe disruption for air travellers, tourists, and the country’s exporters.
In the submission supporting its petition Social Credit pointed out the risks of just such an event, along with disruption to shipping routes due to escalating geopolitical tensions.
The ‘experts’ at MBIE and those around the cabinet table chose to ignore our submission and allow the oil companies to make a purely profit-based decision to close the refinery down.
Insufficient weight was given to the fact that New Zealand is a very small country at the extremes of the Pacific Ocean and its vulnerability is significantly higher than most others.
That decision will now cost airlines and their customers massive additional costs and major disruptions as fuel rationing bites close to Christmas.
Even Australia was not stupid enough to allow closure of all its refineries but ensured two remained operational and were actually upgraded to somewhere near the standard of our own, which produced high quality jet fuel, to ensure it could cope with just such an event as substandard fuel.
What’s even worse is that the government turned a blind eye while the oil companies, despite having promised not to do so, proceeded with unseemly haste to dismantle the refinery’s major components and disable it within a matter of weeks so that the costs of getting it back into operation would be so significant as to be impossible.
The assurances of the oil companies that they could guarantee security of supply for New Zealand have been proven hollow – exactly what Social Credit said at the time was the case, and New Zealanders will be footing the costs.
For more on our long running campaign see www.socialcredit.nz
Chris Leitch, Leader
The staggering thing to me is that none of the Parties in parliament spoke out against the closure; interestingly of all my correspondence with MP’s about the closure the Green Party were the only ones who expressed any interest in keeping the refinery operational.
Interesting indeed, one can only conclude that all other parties’ members have as much a vested interest in the much over-rated EV market as they do in the housing market. Dismantling this ‘state of the art’ refinery can only be described as vandalism. I would also describe it as theft- question- “where did the refinery’s major components actually go??” Channel Infrastructure’s woke board have segued their ceo to Rob Buchanan of Manawa Energy: https://channelnz.com/channel-infrastructure-announces-change-in-chief-executive-officer/ and that after a convenient two year period (remember lockdowns?) Manawa Energy, formerly Bay Energy, also do metering, insurance and generation are registered in Tauranga so rest assured we are in good hands.
They’re the old Trustpower? Geez. Says a lot.
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/news-in-brief/surprise-new-ceo-for-channel-infrastructure
Labour is dead meat in 2023.
The worst govt since Labour’s Rogernomics.
This one is attacking democracy, ruining strategic infrastructure, 3 WATERS, it’s going to chucked out of govt so far the socialists won’t know what way is up.
Refining NZ was planning to be outa there several years back regardless of NZ Labour Govt.–according to an engineer I know that worked there, and a family member who was a union organiser. An essential and expensive part of the process–Catalyst products at the cost of many millions–were not re-ordered as would have been expected to continue operations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_catalytic_cracking
The second to last Refining NZ manager tried to get a solar farm and green energy division happening several years back on the old Marsden B site and RF Board again, were not interested. Refining NZ has been a rotten organisation from its creation in the 80s under Rogernomics–basically a cartel of the main oil companies who had imports, refining, distribution (pipeline to Auckland), price setting, and even retailing all locked up!
As a Green supporter I thought refining capacity should be maintained “just in case” in this crazy world, until the EV fleet and solar uptake had increased substantially.
But the reality is that even with refining capacity, NZ was always vulnerable to global supply and pricing.
If the Government had spent the many billions required to buy, rebuild and continue to operate the refinery the same people going on about “supply security” now would be wittering in about waste of money and “Communist State interference”. The writing was on the wall for the refinery when National sold it. As usual the private sector runs down infrastructure for maximum profit until it is no longer viable. We are seeing the same with electricity, and the borrowing to pay excessive dividends, rather than future investment in supply resilience
One of the reasons I don’t visit TS much. A couple of staunch fellers there seeming to have an ear to the policy types were quite sanguine about the Marsden Point closing and some lightweight thoughts about how problems would be prevented or overcome. I thought they were suffering from over-inflation and possibly their balloons have been proof to this example. I think there was such an embrace of green hydrogen, despite its own problems in practical terms, that it was love at first bite.
Interesting Patrick Boyle – Hedge Fund Manager and good talker
‘Why We Trust Fraudsters!’ 22.25m
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx51CffrBIg