Government warned Tiwai Pt smelter at extreme risk of sea level rise

Published: March 16, 2021, 6:09 p.m.

The government has been warned the Bluff aluminium smelter is at extreme risk of sea level rise, with "catastrophic" consequences including possible fatalities. A risk assessment to Treasury says it is almost certain the sea will breach the smelter's huge toxic landfill within a century. There are 'no existing controls' to tackle this. The smelter is rejecting the findings which went to Treasury last October - months before the Government said it was almost 'completely blind' about contamination at Tiwai Point. Phil Pennington is looking into this.