Marsden A

Marsden A was a 250 MW oil-fired power station near the Marsden Point Oil Refinery at Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. It was built between 1964 and 1966 and commissioned in 1967.^[1] It acted as an emergency reserve power station, serving the load centre of Auckland to the south. It was cooled through a long seawater pipe out into Bream Bay, which is now used to supply an aquaculture industry nearby.

Marsden A Power Station
Country	New Zealand
Location	Marsden Point, Northland
Coordinates	35.875474°S 174.468041°E / -35.875474; 174.468041
Status	Decommissioned
Construction began	1964
Commission date	1967
Decommission date	1996
Owner	Mighty River Power
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Fuel oil
Power generation
Units operational	2×
Nameplate capacity	250 MW

Following the commissioning of the dual coal- and gas-fired Huntly power station in 1982, Marsden A became less used, and it was mothballed in the 1990s due to rising oil prices. One of the generators was subsequently run as a synchronous condenser to provide reactive power support to Transpower's national grid in Northland, but were decommissioned in 2007 when they were superseded by solid-state power support devices within Transpower's network.

The power station before being commissioned in 1967

The facility was previously owned and operated by Mighty River Power.

See also

• Marsden B

References

1. "Marsden A Power Station (N.Z.)". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 February 2022.