Extra pressure on energy grid as scorching summer looms

The national energy market operator has warned extreme heatwaves, a heightened bushfire risk and the deteriorating reliability of ageing coal-fired power stations will imperil the energy grid and raise the threat of blackouts this summer, especially in Victoria.

Summer is set to be hot and dry and the energy market operator
 says bushfires pose a significant risk to the power network.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said the biggest risk of blackouts this summer would come from the impact of severe weather on power generation and transmission networks.

Read the story from The Age - “Extra pressure on energy grid as scorching summer looms.”

‘Not up to it': Energy minister blasts power grid after blackouts to 200,000 Victorian households

Up to 200,000 Victorian households have been hit with rolling power outages, with the state's energy minister declaring the energy grid is not fit for modern living.

Victoria's Energy Minister Lily D'ambrosio says the situation
changed rapidly over the course of Friday as Victorians swelter
in unrelenting heatwave conditions.

Major outages at coal plants combined with wind farms operating well below capacity saw the energy market operator pull the plug on more than 60,000 customers.

Power distribution companies reported outages to more than double that number as the heat rose above 40 degrees early in the afternoon.

Read the story from The Age by Cole Latimer, Simone Fox Koob, Rachel Dexter and Liam Mannix - “‘Not up to it': Energy minister blasts power grid after blackouts to 200,000 Victorian households.”