Refinery to Auckland Pipeline

Yesterday, there was a report of a possible leak on the Refinery to Auckland Pipeline, which resulted in a temporary shutdown of the line while investigations were carried out. It has been confirmed that this was a false alarm. The pipeline has been restarted and is operational. Based on reports from industry experts Quest Integrity and Worley Parsons which confirm that the September 2017 incident resulted from physical damage to the pipeline caused by an as yet unknown third party using a mechanical excavator or 'digger', the certifying pipeline authority recently approved increasing the pressure of the pipeline from 69 to 75 bar (87 bar prior to the incident). We are pleased to report that this pressure increase, together with early completion of the second phase of the pipeline capacity upgrade project (an extra pump at the Kumeu pump station), means that the pipeline is now running higher throughputs than prior to the September 2017 incident. We are hopeful that the higher throughput will assist our customers establishing robust stock levels at Wiri. Further information: Greg McNeill Communications and External Affairs Manager T: 094325115; M: 021 873623; E: greg.mcneill@refiningnz.com End CA:00311709 For:NZR Type:MKTUPDTE Time:2017-12-11 08:31:41