We Need Oil
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We Need Oil
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New Zealand does not have an oil refinery. Not "a small one" — none at all.
Marsden Point closed permanently in April 2022, and from that moment every litre of petrol, diesel, jet fuel and marine fuel burned in this country arrived on a ship, already refined, from Singapore, South Korea or Australia. Before the closure we could at least process crude ourselves. That buffer is gone.
So how much is actually in the tanks? Fuel importers are legally required to hold 21 days of diesel, 24 of jet fuel, 28 of petrol. The Wiri terminal holds about six days of supply for Auckland. Auckland Airport holds roughly two days of jet fuel. Two days.
We work through the pipelines that would decide how fast it unravelled — one of them carries about 95% of Auckland's fuel — why the West Coast has no backup at all, and the week in 2023 when the Chatham Islands nearly ran out of diesel because a single ship built in 1988 went into dry dock.
Further reading: National Fuel Plan (SP 04/24)
At The End Of The World is hosted by Nic Roland and produced by Jamie Thomas. More at ateotw.com