Brisbane power outage: Further blackouts not ruled out

Authorities are working to determine what caused the power station explosion that resulted in the worst electricity outage since the infamous 1985 power worker strikes, while admitting they can’t fully rule out more blackouts.

Queenslanders could face rolling blackouts in the wake of the worst electricity outage since the infamous 1985 electrical union strikes.

The national electricity manager said late on Tuesday extra generation brought online from other power stations in Queensland and NSW had “put us in a good position” to meet demand, but further blackouts could not be ruled out.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni on Wednesday morning said Queenslanders could be “very confident” that power would stay on as energy stations across the state pick up the load, but was hesitant to guarantee it due to external factors.

“The biggest cause of blackouts in Queensland is always severe weather,” he told media. “What I can guarantee is that all our agencies and generators are working hard to ensure we have reliable, cheap power.

“Queenslanders should be very confident that when they go to school, to work or to their businesses today that the lights will come on and they will be able to do what they need to do.”

Multiple investigations have been launched, and questions are being asked about the reliability of electricity supply, after explosions then a blaze at the Callide Power Station, east of Biloela, about 1.45pm on Tuesday.

The fire at the state’s second-biggest power plant plunged homes, businesses and essential services from Townsville to Coolangatta and parts of northern NSW into darkness.

The CS Energy-owned site was evacuated and more than 250 workers were bussed to the Biloela Civic Centre.

A 550m exclusion zone was established as firefighters battled the blaze. There were no reports of injuries.

Workers outside the station after yesterday’s emergency. Picture: William Debois

CS Energy chief executive Andrew Bills, who will be in Biloela today, said it was not clear when it would be safe to access the site again as investigation preparations began.

“I’ll be talking to the Callide team to see how they’re going and see first-hand how we are responding to the incident,” Mr Bills said.

CS Energy is providing counselling to employees who feel affected by the incident.

Mr de Brenni this morning confirmed that only one of the four turbines at the power station was damaged, with the other three units appearing in good condition.

As the Callide Power Station generates roughly 10 per cent of the state’s total electricity, Mr de Brenni said teams were working hard to bring it back online as safely as possible although at this point it was “incredibly difficult” to tell when it would be operating at full capacity again.

CFMMEU Mining and Energy vice-president Shane Brunker said “reports on the ground” pointed to a mechanical failure of a turbine or generator, and the ensuing leak of the hydrogen used to cool the generator causing the explosion.

Mr Brunker said the repairs to the unit at the coal-fired power station’s Callide C plant would cost “millions” and take “months if not years”. He also said the post mortem of what went wrong could take months and would involve going through the sequence of events as recorded by the station’s sophisticated computer system.

A total of 477,000 energy customers were affected. Traffic lights across Brisbane went out, causing school pick-up chaos. Two children were hit by a car at an intersection at Zillmere, in Brisbane’s north, where the traffic lights were believed to have been out. One girl was injured and taken to hospital.

Gold Coast University Hospital was plunged into darkness before emergency generators were activated, and Brisbane hospitals moved to emergency surgeries only.

Power was temporarily lost to Movie World and Sea World, while the Tweed City shopping centre was evacuated.

The Australian Energy Market Operator cancelled initial blackout warnings on Tuesday night after some generators returned to service and Queenslanders reduced their consumption.

But an AEMO spokesman said generation availability and consumer demand forecasts will need to be assessed over the coming days.

An Energex spokesman said it was Queensland’s worst power outage since 1985, when a protracted strike forced southeast Queenslanders to use candles, kerosene lamps and torches for two weeks as the Electrical Trades Union went to war with the Bjelke-Petersen government.

He said 400,000 out of 1.4 million customers in the state’s southeast had lost power and, while it was restored within two hours, rolling blackouts were still “on the cards”.

“We’re hoping they’re not required but it’s something we’ve got to be prepared for to protect the network,” he said.

Potential further load shedding in the days ahead was for AEMO to determine, the spokesman said.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni warned Queenslanders to conserve power and prepare for further outages.

“I’m thankful no one was injured in this incident and we’re working hard to resolve these unprecedented issues as quickly as we can,” he said.

“Essential services such as hospitals, transport networks, ports, airports and other key infrastructure will stay online.”

Callide Power Station had reported eight breakdowns last year and the LNP said Queenslanders needed assurances that their power would not go out.

“Six months into the State Government’s third term and another essential service has failed,” Opposition leader David Crisafulli said.

“I want guarantees that any backlog in maintenance is addressed immediately so Queenslanders can keep their lights on.”

Opposition energy spokesman Pat Weir said: “Queenslanders can’t be left in the dark about this and the State Government must explain what impact reducing the output and maintenance of these power stations has had on this incident.

“This shows what can happen when reliable base load power isn’t available in the system.”

Speaking in federal parliament, Morrison Government Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the government was working with the AEMO to determine the impact and cause of the outage and to restore power as quickly as possible.

“Of course our thoughts at this time, first and foremost are with the safety and the livelihoods of workers both at the Callide Power Station – 260 workers at the Callide Power Station – and the many customers who rely on that power for their livelihoods,” he said.

A warning sign on the Pacific Motorway at Helensvale on the Gold Coast. Picture: Nigel Hallett