Oh Well!!! Nearly A Month Before Summer; Sydney Faces 40C (15C Over Average), Blackout Warning

Last edited Tue Nov 26, 2024, 07:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Power supplies will become “tight” in New South Wales and Queensland later this week as the season’s first major heatwave coincides with outages at big coal-fired power stations. Parts of western Sydney are forecast to approach 40C on Tuesday and Wednesday during a pre-summer hot spell spanning a week of 30C-plus days. Heatwave conditions in eastern parts of NSW will be in the low- to severe-intensity range, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The Australian Energy Market Operator on Monday issued multiple so-called lack of reserve alerts for the two states, including the highest level-3 forecast for NSW on Wednesday afternoon. That alert was later cancelled, only to be replaced by an LOR3 warning for Thursday afternoon, as one indication of the lingering heatwave. As of Monday afternoon, NSW faced the possibility of an “interrupted supply”, or blackouts, reaching as much as 205 megawatts at 3.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday. The period when supply may not meet demand – without further market responses – was from 3pm to 4pm AEDT.

“High temperatures and strong electricity demand, combined with some generation outages, are causing tight electricity supply forecasts in NSW tomorrow and Wednesday afternoon,” Aemo said in a statement on Monday morning.

EDIT

For Queensland, the present gaps involve inadequate reserves – a buffer in case a plant drops out – for periods stretching from 3pm to 10.30pm local time. Indications that south-eastern Australia is facing its most extensive belt of heat have been clear for days. As of this morning, almost six gigawatts of coal-fired power stations were unavailable because of planned and unplanned maintenance, according to Dylan McConnell, an energy specialist at the University of NSW. McConnell said about half of the unavailable coal capacity was because of scheduled maintenance, noting that such outages were typical in the lead-up to summer.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/25/blackout-risk-warning-as-scorching-temperatures-forecast-for-parts-of-nsw

A heatwave across eastern New South Wales continues to intensify, sending temperatures up to 12 degrees Celsius above average and prompting a severe weather warning until Thursday.

The temperature is forecast to reach the high 30s in the state's northern and eastern inland on Tuesday, including across Western Sydney where residents will sweat through temperatures of up to 39C — the hottest in spring for four years.

Wednesday will bring even higher temperatures, reaching 40C in Western Sydney and 33C in the CBD. It will be Penrith's fifth consecutive day above 35C — a new record for spring since the weather station commenced operation in 1995.

Towns in northern parts of the state and the Hunter will also swelter, with maximums in the high 30s predicted during the coming days, including tops of 39C in Bourke, Singleton and Muswellbrook.

EDIT

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/severe-heatwave-warning-in-place-for-eastern-nsw-as-temperatures-soar-up-to-12c-above-average/ar-AA1uJqrH