NSW braces for energy crunch as heatwave hits – residents urged to power down appliances amid looming electricity shortage
NSW residents were asked to consider turning off air conditioning and delay using dishwashers, washing machines and dryers on Thursday night as heatwaves disrupted the state’s power supply.
The state has received a heat warning from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), with temperatures in western Sydney reaching 40C and the mercury in Sydney rising to 37C.
The high temperatures have prompted the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to forecast a Lack of Reserve 2 (LOR2) forecast for New South Wales, which warns of a “significant reduction” in pre-determined electricity reserve levels, with electricity demand expected to peak from 17 :00 to 17:00. 9 pm.
A heatwave will hit much of Australia from Thursday, and an energy market operator has warned electricity consumption in New South Wales could spike on Thursday afternoon as residents turn on their air conditioning.
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharp urged households to help relieve pressure on the energy grid by limiting non-essential energy use during Thursday’s peak, but stressed it was a “precautionary measure”.
She asked people to turn off their swimming pool pumps between 5pm and 9pm or delay running their dishwashers, dryers and washing machines until tomorrow morning.
“Every little action we take will make it much easier to ensure the network is running smoothly and without problems,” she said.
“Nobody is forced to do any of this. We’re just saying: when you go home tonight, if you don’t have to use the dryer or don’t have to run the dishwasher until tomorrow morning, just do it.”
PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER SHARP
Ms Sharp said she was told a unit had failed at one of the state’s coal-fired power stations, which contributed to the tension, but she said it was not an “unusual” occurrence.
While no impact is predicted for consumers at this time, the AEMO warning calls on generators to supply more energy to the grid and large commercial customers to reduce their energy consumption.
Government agencies have also been asked to reduce their electricity consumption, including turning off non-essential lighting and reducing the use of air conditioning where it is safe and feasible to do so.
Ms Sharp warned NSW could face further power supply shortages as the summer progresses. The government will analyze how cutting energy use during peak periods could impact grid demand, using Thursday evening as an example.
“We’re going to have hotter days in the summer, especially as we get closer to February when everyone goes back to work and we no longer have school holidays,” she said.
“Three or four days of hot weather is going to make life very difficult for people, so part of it is about addressing those issues today… and seeing what else we can do as things actually get a little tougher.”