Motunui

Motunui
Motunui
Coordinates: 38°59′43″S 174°17′44″E / 38.99528°S 174.29556°E / -38.99528; 174.29556
Country	New Zealand
Region	Taranaki
District	New Plymouth District

Motunui is a settlement in northern Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 3 close to the shore of the North Taranaki Bight, six kilometres east of Waitara.

Motunui is best known as the location of the Motunui methanol plant, the largest in the world at the time of construction.^[1] This was opened in 1986, converting natural gas to methanol and the methanol to synthetic petrol using a process developed by Mobil. The plant was one of the Think Big projects of the Third National Government. The process became uneconomic in the late 1990s as a result of falling oil prices, so the plant was switched to producing methanol for export. It ceased production in 2004 as the approaching depletion of the Maui gas field raised gas prices.^[2]

In 2005, an unmanned production station for the new offshore Pohokura oil/gas field was constructed immediately west of the Motunui plant. This commenced commercial production in September 2006. ^[3]

References

1. ^ "Motunui Synthetic Fuels Plant". IPENZ Engineering Heritage. Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand. http://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=68. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
2. ^ Oil and gas - The Māui gas field - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
3. ^ Todd Energy - Production - Pohokura

Coordinates: 38°59′S 174°18′E / 38.983°S 174.3°E / -38.983; 174.3