NSW has earned a reprieve from blackout risks as cooler weather eases the demand on the state’s electricity grid.
Experts were worried there could be “insufficient generation available” as workers and school students arrived home between 3pm to 8pm on what has been a sweltering day with temperatures in the high-30s for many.
The surge in demand combined with a drop in output from solar panels as the sun went down, leading to blackout fears.
There were a handful of minor outages in Sydney and other parts of the state but none were confirmed to be related to the heat.
At 6.30pm the Australian Energy Market Operator said the electricity reliability had “significantly improved in NSW, with cooler weather easing demand”.
Earlier in the day, the grid manager worked with energy suppliers and the government to deal with the tricky combination of heatwave and major power stations being unavailable.
“AEMO forecasts there could be insufficient generation available to meet the demand in NSW,” Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement.
“As a result, steps are well underway to reduce demand and lessen the risk of load shedding leading to temporary blackouts in some areas.”
Organisations such as local councils and water companies were being asked to reduce their power use amid the heat.
Householders were also doing their bit by closing blinds, doors and windows to keep out the heat and delaying the use of things like dishwashers and pool pumps.
Air conditioning should be set between 24 and 26 degrees to save power.
By lunchtime, Sydney Airport neared 37 degrees, the west was 36 degrees and the city a cooler 29 degrees.
Power outages in Sydney’s south and the Riverina region have been restored.
About 2000 people in Sydney’s south – 1800 in Cronulla and 200 in nearby Engadine – were still without power about 6.40pm but most were reconnected before 7.30pm.
There was no confirmation whether the outage was heat-related.
Thunderstorms, rains possible in NSW
Meanwhile storms heading for parts of NSW have now moved on – for now.
“Severe thunderstorms have now weakened or moved south of the Victorian border, however thunderstorm activity continues in western NSW and storms may become severe again this afternoon and evening,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Rain is forecast, with showers possible tonight and tomorrow moving to heavier falls on Friday and Saturday.
The NSW State Emergency Service is also warning residents to prepare for “potentially severe storms with heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail” for areas including Western NSW, Sydney, Mid North Coast, parts of the Hunter and Illawarra.
Power was restored to thousands of residents in southern New South Wales after outages affected more than 6000 customers from 5.30am.
Households and businesses in the Riverina region, including Wagga Wagga, Culcairn, Henty, Uranquinty and Holbrook, were impacted.
Power company Essential Energy said the outage was caused by a fault on the Transgrid transmission line between Wagga Wagga and Albury.
It said the outage was not related to the heat, despite warnings of possible outages earlier this week due to some generators being offline.
“The power supply was isolated to keep the community safe until crews could temporarily restore power through a back feeder line just after 9am,” a spokesperson for Essential Energy said.
“Impacted customers were sent an SMS.
“To receive information about power outages, we encourage customers to confirm that their contact details are up to date with their electricity retailers.”
There were several power outages in Sydney yesterday, but Ausgrid said they were not believed to be heat-related.
Energy expert Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute said there were several factors in play that left Australia’s most populous state facing blackout risks in November.
Weather more like summer
He said climate change meant Sydney was seeing weather conditions more typical of January or February in November, while the ageing energy grid required ever-more maintenance.
“We have not been getting on with has to be done,” he told Today.
“What has to be done to ensure that we do have a transition to an energy system, which has exactly all the features that we all want and need, and we’re not there yet.”
He said it was unlikely Australia would experience massive state-wide blackouts, but these troubles would continue until the energy transition was closer to complete.
NSW can expect some relief from the heat later this week, with temperatures forecast to drop slightly to 30 tomorrow and then to a top in the mid-20s for Friday and the weekend.
Source Credit: 9 News Sydney