A new bitumen import terminal at Marsden Point, designed to supply the Upper North Island and provide 10,000 tonnes of storage capacity, has reached a key milestone.
Channel Infrastructure and Higgins Contractors marked the progress with a sod-turning event at the site, part of Channel’s wider energy precinct redevelopment.
Channel chief executive Rob Buchanan says the facility would play a crucial role for both companies.
“Today’s event is an important step towards our delivery of this new facility for our new customer, Higgins, and an important part of our plans to deliver our vision for growth at Channel’s Marsden Point Energy Precinct.
“Once complete, this new facility will enable Higgins to import bitumen via our strategically located Marsden Point site, for supply into the Upper North Island.
“For Channel, this investment marks an important evolution in the business’ plans for growth, as we seek to develop the Energy Precinct, utilise our infrastructure to provide resiliency to another important supply chain, and bring investment to Northland,” Buchanan says.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop joined Buchanan and Higgins general manager Andrew McRae at the sod-turning ceremony on September 12.
The project, announced in November last year, has already involved extensive site preparation, including clearing redundant facilities, surveying, and upgrading access roads to handle heavier bitumen road tankers.
McRae says the terminal would support both Higgins’ growth and wider industry needs.
“This terminal will enable us to supply enough bitumen to meet the infrastructure needs of Auckland and the upper North Island. It will also provide much-needed supply chain resilience for bitumen importation across the wider industry.”
Due for completion in the second half of 2026, the terminal will complement Higgins’ existing facility at Napier and reduce reliance on the Port of Tauranga, bringing significant cost and time savings to major construction projects, including parts of the Government’s Roads of National Significance programme.
Channel is investing between $17m and $21m in the project, which includes jetty linework, storage tanks, and a truck loading facility.
Buchanan says the development underlined Channel’s role in strengthening New Zealand’s energy and infrastructure resilience.
“Channel is committed to providing energy and infrastructure resilience to New Zealand, and that starts with what we can do from our Marsden Point site.
“We have a unique set of industrial assets unparalleled anywhere else in New Zealand, existing consents, including for fuels manufacture, and a huge amount of available space from which to maximise the value we can bring for Northland and New Zealand.”
