Tiwai Point aluminium plant — New Zealand
Aluminium Smelter in New Zealand. Approximate location -46.58861, 168.38558.
Aluminium SmelterNew ZealandCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Tiwai Point aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in New Zealand. Its listed capacity is 330,000 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. It is operated by New Zealand Aluminium Smelters. It emits about 707,542 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 25% of the CO₂e from the 7 facilities in New Zealand that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673115.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Similar facilities by modelled emissions
- Nag Hammadi aluminium plant · 708,087 t CO₂e/yr · Egypt
- Xiezhou aluminium plant · 701,296 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Tulcea Alumina Refinery · 697,580 t CO₂e/yr · Romania
- Lapanga aluminium plant · 696,046 t CO₂e/yr · India
- Grundartangi aluminium plant · 692,077 t CO₂e/yr · Iceland
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
In context: how this facility compares
At 330,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Tiwai Point aluminium plant is around the median aluminium smelter in New Zealand (330,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 707,542 t CO₂e a year looks like
This facility's estimated annual CO₂e (Climate TRACE, modelled) in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:
Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.
Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions
At its reported 708k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Tiwai Point aluminium plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 708k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €53.3M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. No domestic carbon price — but cement, steel, aluminium, fertilizer and hydrogen exported to the EU face CBAM at €75/t (rising to 100% by 2034).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Operator
Operated by New Zealand Aluminium Smelters.
Local climate
Tiwai Point aluminium plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 46.6°S in the southern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1405 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× the loss at a 20 °C reference. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
Location
Coordinates -46.58861, 168.38558. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Tiwai Point aluminium plant?
Tiwai Point aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in New Zealand. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
What capacity is listed for Tiwai Point aluminium plant?
The open dataset lists 330,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Tiwai Point aluminium plant.
How much CO₂ does Tiwai Point aluminium plant emit?
The page uses about 707,542 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #2 among facilities in New Zealand by estimated CO₂.
Where is Tiwai Point aluminium plant located?
Tiwai Point aluminium plant is in New Zealand at approximately -46.58861, 168.38558.
Who operates Tiwai Point aluminium plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is New Zealand Aluminium Smelters.