In Memoriam: walgert
off shore Rig
The amount of gas needed for electricity generation was less than estimated. Penalised by both the take-or-pay agreement and soaring international oil prices in 1979, the government embarked on a radical plan that became known as Think Big. Two petrochemical plants were built in Taranaki to use Māui gas for industrial development.
The most ambitious of these was the Motunui synfuel plant – the first of its type in the world, which converted gas to methanol (methyl alcohol), then to synthetic petrol. While technically successful, it began losing money when world oil prices fell in the late 1980s. The Motunui plant then switched to making methanol for export, which is what the Waitara valley plant did.
As the Māui gas field began to run out in the early 2000s, these plants no longer had a cheap supply of gas. Motunui closed in 2004, and the Waitara valley plant ceased production in 2005.
for all who are interested on the subject, read on here
off shore Rig
The amount of gas needed for electricity generation was less than estimated. Penalised by both the take-or-pay agreement and soaring international oil prices in 1979, the government embarked on a radical plan that became known as Think Big. Two petrochemical plants were built in Taranaki to use Māui gas for industrial development.
The most ambitious of these was the Motunui synfuel plant – the first of its type in the world, which converted gas to methanol (methyl alcohol), then to synthetic petrol. While technically successful, it began losing money when world oil prices fell in the late 1980s. The Motunui plant then switched to making methanol for export, which is what the Waitara valley plant did.
As the Māui gas field began to run out in the early 2000s, these plants no longer had a cheap supply of gas. Motunui closed in 2004, and the Waitara valley plant ceased production in 2005.
for all who are interested on the subject, read on here