Thread: Big storm and no power in SA

Nope, we are producing about 500MW more than we need at the moment and nothing is near capacity. Given that we are only using 7,500MW at the moment, we can do all that just off what the coal plants have available at the moment, so no stress down here I can assure you - it isn't even that hot today although I'm sure the 6 oclock news will call it a heat wave....

It's SA that's actually drawing power from us currently, but given that changes back and forth all day, I don't see the problem or what you're trying to get at honestly. Demand country wide is way below what the generation capacity of any state is.

No one is being 'propped up' by anyone at the moment. You should go work for Channel 9...

a hot windless day and SA is importing power.... never in the history of everything has this even happened!

Originally Posted by Homestar

Nope, we are producing about 500MW more than we need at the moment and nothing is near capacity. Given that we are only using 7,500MW at the moment, we can do all that just off what the coal plants have available at the moment, so no stress down here I can assure you - it isn't even that hot today although I'm sure the 6 oclock news will call it a heat wave....

It's SA that's actually drawing power from us currently, but given that changes back and forth all day, I don't see the problem or what you're trying to get at honestly. Demand country wide is way below what the generation capacity of any state is.

No one is being 'propped up' by anyone at the moment. You should go work for Channel 9...

Yeah, I know, I was just having a childish dig.
Seriously, it's a national grid and we should just connect it all together and move the power to where it's needed, while ignoring these silly interstate rivalries.
OK, that's enough, I'm going home from work now to turn on my air-con, turn on the tennis and enjoy a couple of cold bevvies, safe in the knowledge that Queensland has more than enough power to support my self-indulgence. Go safely, people.

Don’t be fooled, folks. The difference this year is coal. All NSW coal gens are well supplied this year and thus running hard at relatively low elec pool prices. Last year they were short coal and priced accordingly.

Additionally, the NSW EPA has granted special dispensation for cooling water outlet temps to Lake Macquarie gens, so they can run harder for longer.

And we haven’t had a nation-wide heat event yet.

Another thing, be wary of ‘capacity’. Registeted capacity can be long way from available capacity.

A month in, Tesla's SA battery is surpassing expectations

World's second-most powerful battery after Tesla mooted for Top End
World's second-most powerful battery after Tesla mooted for Top End - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

After visiting there , I wondered why they do not build up the Ord River Dam a bit to catch the zillions of tonnes of water that overflow down the spillway in the wet season, construct a BIG hydro power station rather than the puny one they have at the moment and send the power to Darwin.

I guess its because the dam is in WA and the market in NT.

Regards Philip A

And a not insignificant distance apart! Lounge room planners can come up with marvellous ideas using small scale maps!