en.Wedoany.com Reported - The New Zealand government, in partnership with Channel Infrastructure, has activated over 120 million litres of fuel storage facilities at Marsden Point, including a government-owned strategic diesel reserve of 93 million litres.
The new storage capacity at the facility includes 93 million litres of government-owned diesel reserves and an additional 30 million litres of aviation fuel storage provided by Z Energy.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Energy Associate Minister Shane Jones, and Channel Infrastructure CEO Rob Buchanan attended the completion ceremony, commissioning an 80 million litre diesel storage tank. Just over three months ago, the government approved up to NZ$21.6 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to refurbish part of the storage facilities at Marsden Point.
The establishment of this strategic reserve follows the government's actions to strengthen New Zealand's fuel resilience amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Willis stated that diesel is critical for freight, agriculture, construction services, and the daily operations of businesses and households. She noted that "strengthening fuel security was and remains a top priority for the government," and while tensions in the Middle East have eased, global supply chains remain fragile, making it important for New Zealand to be better prepared for future disruptions.
Jones said Channel Infrastructure assured the government it could prepare the tanks "within two months," with the project completed in early June and already beginning to receive the first strategic diesel shipments. Following a competitive procurement process, Z Energy was selected to supply and manage the government's 90 million litre diesel reserve. Under the agreement, Z Energy owns and manages the reserve, while the government controls the timing of its release to the market. The first of two initial diesel shipments has arrived at Marsden Point, with the second expected later this month.
Buchanan stated that the storage project did not exist three weeks before it began but was delivered safely and on time nine weeks later. He noted that despite the challenging economic environment, Channel Infrastructure has invested over NZ$165 million in storage and infrastructure projects. The company is advancing an ambitious energy park that could create up to 20,000 jobs during construction in the Northland region alone. With the completion of three tanks, the site now has over 400 million litres of operational tank capacity, with an additional 350 million litres available for future repurposing, along with 45 hectares of consented freehold land for future projects. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) stated that as global fuel supplies continue to stabilise, fuel stock reports will return to a standard weekly reporting schedule.
