Tesla for Tiwai

Now that Rio Tinto is pulling the plug on its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, what better replacement than a Tesla Gigafactory.

That’s the aim of EV entrepreneur Nigel Broomhall, who has more than 10 years’ experience in the EV industry, suggesting that if a Facebook page for “Tesla Down Under” gets more than 10,000 likes then he’ll help build a business-funded team and pitch the idea to Tesla.

Main power supplier Meridian Energy has been given notice to terminate its power contract by August next year.

Broomhall – who once led Meridian Energy’s EV programme – says Tiwai has 570MW of 100% renewable electricity, a commercial deep-water port designed to manage raw materials, all the electricity transmission hardware to get the energy into the site and more than 1200 skilled manufacturing staff.

He reckons a Gigafactory – possibly five times the size of the Nevada one – would involve NZ$6.9 billion investment, provide 8000 jobs, reduce or eliminate the $100m Transpower Clutha Upper-Waitaki Lines Project, and eliminate or reduce the Transpower $500-$600m investment needed across New Zealand to balance the energy surplus.

“If the Facebook page we’ve created gets to 10,000+ likes, we’ll build a business-funded team and pitch Tesla. We’ll co-ordinate across the electricity industry, local and central government,” Broomhall says.

“Here’s the team we’d pull together: Electricity industry executives, Southland community representatives, Ngai Tahu representatives, local and central government representatives.

“Our team already has networks into the US tech industry in the EV space which we would leverage. “And we’re sure others would jump on board.

“Let’s leverage our clean and green image and use it to create jobs in a high-tech industry that aims to make the world a better place.”