The Maui
natural gas field is the largest gas,
natural gas condensate
Natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields. Some gas species within the raw natu ...
and
oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presen ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, producing nearly three-quarters of the country's
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...
s, as well as providing energy for electricity generation. It is located in the
Tasman Sea, 35 km off the coast of
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
and to the southwest of
New Plymouth. It covers an area of 157 square kilometres and is located in 110 metres of water.
The gas field was discovered in 1969 by a joint venture of
Royal Dutch/Shell,
British Petroleum and
Todd Petroleum. It was considered a "giant" field at the time of discovery. Government investment led to a government organisation later called
Petrocorp
Petrocorp, formally the Petroleum Corporation of New Zealand Limited, is a former New Zealand state-owned enterprise that was formed in 1978. It was sold by the Fourth Labour government in 1988 to Fletcher Challenge and became the Fletcher Ene ...
taking a 50% interest. This was later bought out by
Fletcher Challenge
Fletcher Challenge was a multinational corporation from New Zealand. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Fletcher Holdings, Challenge Corporation and Tasman Pulp and Paper. It had holdings in construction, forestry, building, and energy, initi ...
Energy. By the end of the Maui gas contract in 2009, the Maui Mining Companies were made up of
Shell (83.75%),
OMV
OMV (formerly abbreviation for Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung Aktiengesellschaft ('' en, Austrian Mineral Oil Administration Stock Company'')) is an Austrian multinational integrated oil, gas and petrochemical company which is headquart ...
New Zealand (10%), and
Todd Energy
The Todd Corporation is a large private New Zealand company with a value of $4.3 billion, owned and controlled by the Todd family and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The corporation is currently led by chairman of the board, Henry Tait ...
(6.25%).
OMV
OMV (formerly abbreviation for Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung Aktiengesellschaft ('' en, Austrian Mineral Oil Administration Stock Company'')) is an Austrian multinational integrated oil, gas and petrochemical company which is headquart ...
New Zealand owns and operates the Maui gas field having acquired the 83.75% share from
Shell Exploration NZ and the 6.25% share from
Todd Energy
The Todd Corporation is a large private New Zealand company with a value of $4.3 billion, owned and controlled by the Todd family and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The corporation is currently led by chairman of the board, Henry Tait ...
since the end of 2018.
Two platforms operate in the field: full production from Maui A began in 1979; Maui B was installed 13 years later. Much of the gas from Maui was used to supply the
Motunui synthetic petrol plant from 1986 until it ceased operation in 2004. An onshore
naphtha
Naphtha ( or ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture.
Mixtures labelled ''naphtha'' have been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. In different industries and regions ' ...
refining plant was installed in 1999. The
floating production storage and offloading vessel ''Whakaaropai'' was installed as part of the final development phases in 1996, for the production of oil from Maui B. It was sold in 2005 when the recoverable oil reserves had been exhausted.
Gas is piped to power stations for electricity generation at
Stratford and
Huntly
Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settleme ...
. Electricity production from the gas grew steadily from the 1970s, with it providing 30% of New Zealand's electricity in 2002. Production declined in the 2000s as the gas was depleted, providing just 16% of the country's electricity in 2005. The gas is also distributed through high-pressure pipelines for industrial and domestic use around the North Island. This used 30% of the gas produced in 2005.
In 2005, the Maui fields oil reserves were estimated to be 92% depleted, and the Maui field gas reserves were estimated to be 91% depleted.
In 2014, the New Zealand government revised its published estimates of natural gas reserves. "The biggest news of the recalculation involves one of the oldest gas producers. When the offshore Maui field was discovered in 1969 and
developed 10 years later, it was forecast it would be exhausted in 30 years. But now its remaining proved reserves have been doubled to 133 PJ
and its 2P reserves more than doubled to 466 PJ".
See also
*
Energy in New Zealand
*
Oil and gas industry in New Zealand
The oil and gas industry in New Zealand explores and develops oil and gas fields, and produces and distributes petroleum products and natural gas.
In 2018, New Zealand's self-sufficiency in oil (mmbls production divided by consumption) was 17%, i ...
References
External links
Field summary at Todd Energy website
{{Oceanic features of Zealandia, state=collapsed
Zealandia
Geography of Taranaki
Geography of the New Zealand seabed
Oil fields of New Zealand
Natural gas fields in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in Taranaki
Todd Corporation