Big storm and no power in SA

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Originally Posted by rovercare

Also Morwell power station was great to work on, I spent a few years there, very diverse, as an aside, I see there is a tender for the demolition of the briquette factories in the express

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Yeah, worked there too - many an afternoon on the roof sitting in the sun playing 500 while the leading hand yelled at us from the bottom of the stairs because he couldn't climb them (due to a skydiving accident) and the lift didn't go to the roof. :D

We'd all scarper off to the other end and down the other exit and be back at the workshop before he could get there. Used to **** him off no end....

SEC - Slow Easy Comfortable

Those were the days. :D

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Originally Posted by Homestar

Considering it was originally commissioned in the mid 1960's and was designed to last until 1990 it's done pretty well. The first PLE (Plant Life Extension) was conducted from 1987 through to 1991 on all 8 Units. I was part of the Turbine Gang on Unit 2 back in late '87. This PLE was designed to get it to 1998 before closing.

It's since had 2 more and it's a bit like Grandads Axe now, but everything that's been replaced has been replaced with pretty much the same technology over the years just newer bits.

It's had a long hard life and at some point it needed to be shut down. Not saying this year is the right time, but the writings been on the wall a loooong time. It's over 50 years old now, someone had to make the decision.

I'll miss it when it's gone - it's such a recognisable part of the landscape and it was one of the best places I woked while at the SEC. The plant was well designed and easy to work on - very different to both Morwell and Yalloun Power Stations (Never worked at Loy Yang PS, only the Open Cut there) I'll always have fond memories of my time there.

The reasons it has never been replaced with something newer over the years certainly can't be discussed here.

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Yes, I'm sure you're right. I was just questioning a previous post which seemed to imply some other motive, when it was purely a financial decision by the company, I believe.
I'll be surprised if any more coal fired power stations are built in Australia - they are outdated technology.
Incidentally I have a relation who once worked there - he liked it.

The response to the unreliable power system has been announced.
Traffic lights will have a backup power supply.
Shopkeepers are to install their own backup power supplies.

SA locals urged to be more resilient - 9news.com.au

There you have it, you Sth Aussies have unrealistic expectations and should be more resilient, aparrently.

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Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

The response to the unreliable power system has been announced.
Traffic lights will have a backup power supply.
Shopkeepers are to install their own backup power supplies.

SA locals urged to be more resilient - 9news.com.au

There you have it, you Sth Aussies have unrealistic expectations and should be more resilient, aparrently.

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So resistance is futile to the need for more resilience .....................against what??

Stupidity?

DL

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Originally Posted by rovercare

Also Morwell power station was great to work on, I spent a few years there, very diverse, as an aside, I see there is a tender for the demolition of the briquette factories in the express

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Did a fish survey somewhere very close by about a year ago for a road making mob.

We had to look at every bit of water near this particular bit of road and infrastructure and found our selves going through a very expensive smashed gate (think the best Parks Vic gate) next to a river, along a very expensively made fire access track that obviously hadn't been maintained at all from some point in time.

Privatisation is a wonderful thing, apparently, but fires happen, apparently, and if you've paid your council rates (and the fire service levy automatically these days) then it is the community's problem, even though you're running a big business burning a lot of stuff.

If the fire drags on for awhile apparently it is possible for a responsible authority to get the EPA to lift the ppm limit for CO exposure so no one can die from the fumes.

Funny world.

DL

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Originally Posted by 350RRC

So resistance is futile to the need for more resilience .....................against what??

Stupidity?

DL

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Who is stupid? The state has been hit by a succession of roughly 1 in 50 year storms, and last time loads and loads of trees had been blown across power lines. People like me who were well prepared paid around twenty bucks for some genny fuel and didn't suffer at all. People who did nothing in advance suffered much more. Expecting a long and geographically sparse grid to stand up to the storms we've had is pretty unrealistic. To put every power line underground would be nice but hardly affordable in the current economic climate. So asking people to plan ahead a little isn't unrealistic.

So does this mean if I move to SA I need a bloody long extension cord to bring power from WA. 😉

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Yes, I'm sure you're right. I was just questioning a previous post which seemed to imply some other motive, when it was purely a financial decision by the company, I believe.
I'll be surprised if any more coal fired power stations are built in Australia - they are outdated technology.
Incidentally I have a relation who once worked there - he liked it.

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I wouldn't be, we just have to get closer to crisis point before it happens, and being ignorant it will take us as a nation a fair bit more time

https://www.gepower.com/steam/custom...omes/rdk8.html

This or nuclear will be needed, something needs to happen soon, undoubtedly, yallourn w is now e next "dirtiest power station" once the closure of hazelwood has happened and the cycle continues

As I've said, these plants should be paving the way, lignite is extremely easy, cheap and in abundance, had we of had newer plants, we would merely be continuing in our way

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Originally Posted by bee utey

Who is stupid? The state has been hit by a succession of roughly 1 in 50 year storms, and last time loads and loads of trees had been blown across power lines. People like me who were well prepared paid around twenty bucks for some genny fuel and didn't suffer at all. People who did nothing in advance suffered much more. Expecting a long and geographically sparse grid to stand up to the storms we've had is pretty unrealistic. To put every power line underground would be nice but hardly affordable in the current economic climate. So asking people to plan ahead a little isn't unrealistic.

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Aemo report says it, amazing how they will up the prot settings for wind overspeed incidents to combat this, it was not the "poles and wires" at fault for the black out, it was the inability for the wind turbines to produce in the storm event. One must have expectation of some infrastructure damage during extreme weather off course....every storm means I install many more generator change over switches for people:D

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Originally Posted by rovercare

Aemo report says it, amazing how they will up the prot settings for wind overspeed incidents to combat this, it was not the "poles and wires" at fault for the black out, it was the inability for the wind turbines to produce in the storm event. One must have expectation of some infrastructure damage during extreme weather off course....every storm means I install many more generator change over switches for people:D

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I was talking mainly about the second storm just after Christmas, not just the first. Not that there wasn't a fair bit of tree damage in some areas as well as the major damage up north during the first storm. After that one much of the state had power back on again within a few hours. The west of the state was on the other side of a whole bunch of failed infrastructure. After the second storm there were two massive trees down just on our local road, across the major hills area some thousands in total. People couldn't move anywhere until the emergency crews could get in. Our power was out for 66 hours and we weren't the last area to be reconnected by any means. We didn't care much as the fridge and freezer were well stocked and we had adequate backup power. One woman just down the street was so poorly prepared she had virtually nothing other than a cheap lantern. We let her charge her phone at our house so she had some contact with the outside world.