We have a proud 60-year history of fueling New Zealand, from our home at Marsden Point, in Northland, New Zealand.
Marsden Point has been the home of our business since 1962, when this site was chosen because of its convenient deep-water harbour, proximity to the main North Island population, low earthquake risk and the availability of land adjacent to the site.
Prior to the establishment of a domestic oil refinery, our nation imported fuels directly into New Zealand – the same as what happens now in New Zealand.
Building of the refinery began in 1962 and the Marsden Point refinery commenced operations in 1964.
In the mid-1980s the refinery was substantially expanded and upgraded to allow for increased production. Extra tanks, utility supplies and environmental treatment units were added along with a 170-kilometre Marsden Point to Auckland pipeline.
In 1988 the introduction of the Petroleum Sector Reform Act saw the energy industry deregulated. New processing agreements with the oil companies and improved operational performance saw the refinery establish a strong, cost-competitive position in this deregulated market.
In 1999 New Zealand’s largest fuel testing laboratory, Independent Petroleum Laboratory (IPL), was established. IPL offered testing services to the refinery, local and international customers and government agencies.
Refining NZ invested in Future Fuels in 2005, which allowed the refinery to produce cleaner fuels – removing benzene from petrol and reducing the sulphur content of diesel. In 2009, the Point Forward project increased the capacity on the refinery’s principle crude distillation unit (CDU1), and in 2015 the Te Mahi Hou project increased petrol production by around two million barrels per annum and reduced CO2 emissions by around 120,000 tonnes per annum.
In response to historically low levels of gross-refining margins (GRM), exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19, in 2022 Refining NZ reviewed initiated a strategic review of its business. With a focus on delivering value to shareholders and the best use for its assets, Refining NZ’s shareholders and Board decided to transition the business, by ceasing refinery operations. This was largely as a result of structural challenges to the competitiveness of the refinery compared to newer Asian refineries, high costs of energy in New Zealand and the global movement towards reducing carbon emissions bringing new challenges and opportunities in the fuels sector, as we all transition to lower-carbon transport fuels over time.
Refining NZ was renamed Channel Infrastructure from April 2022, and now operates as an import terminal from Marsden Point under long-term contracts with its three customers.
