Marsden B may be fired up

Press, 3 April 1989, Page 15

Marsden B may be fired up

PA Wellington The Marsden B power station might be taken out of mothballs and fuelled on coal, the Electricity Corporation’s production development manager, Brian Cox, said. Mr Cox said that the power station was suitable for conversion to coal and that this could be achieved a lot more cheaply than building a new power station.

The Marsden B Power Station was built in 1979 but has never been used. The power station was to be fuelled with oil but with the increase in oil prices that occurred immediately before its commissioning it was placed in long-term storage where it has languished ever since.

"Over the last year the corporation has investigated a number of options for using the station and we are now convinced that with the advent of new technologies being developed overseas, that conversion to coal is a very sound financial proposition,” Mr Cox said. “The new technologies are far superior in fuel conversion efficiency than either the Huntly or New Plymouth power stations

which are based on conventional technologies. “While the corporation has not yet committed itself to a coal source the Marsden Station is ideally situated for the use of

imported or domestic coal. The corporation is reviewing coal handling options and only has a few remaining infrastructure issues to address,” he said.