NSW power stations generating electricity for Melbourne over sweltering summer
NSW power stations kept the lights on in Victoria over the sweltering summer, including during the Australian Open when energy regulators warned of rolling blackout threats for our southern neighbours.
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NSW power stations kept the lights on in Victoria over the sweltering summer, including during the Australian Open when energy regulators warned of rolling blackout threats for our southern neighbours.
With AGL announcing plans to spend $200 million to upgrade the massive Bayswater Power Station in the Hunter Valley, The Daily Telegraph can reveal NSW exported a whopping 2577 per cent more power to Victoria between December and the end of February compared to last summer.
Overall electricity transfers from Victoria to NSW have fallen 80 per cent since the shuttering of its major coal-fired Hazelwood power plant last March.
But the disastrous outcome for Victoria, which forced its Health Department to warn hospitals to double check emergency generators just in case they lost power during a heatwave, is a warning sign for NSW, which is facing the closure of AGL’s Liddell power station in 2022.
The upgrade to Bayswater, which is expected to provide electricity for up to 100,000 houses by replacing ageing turbines with new equipment, is part of AGL’s strategy to stave off a forecast generation shortfall when Liddell closes.
Energy Minister Don Harwin said Sydney had “remained in good shape” this summer because of lessons learned last year, when the city was plunged into crisis and families urged to go to shopping centres and cinemas to save power at home.
“Exports of energy to Victoria increased nearly 1000 per cent since Hazelwood closed, and yet only last week Labor was praising their approach to energy management,” Mr Harwin said. “The energy we send south of the border helps Victoria and even South Australia get through the summer.”
Data held by the Australian Energy Market Operator, obtained by the Telegraph, shows electricity exports from Victoria fell from 1.3 million Mwh between December 2016 and February 2017 to just 279,000 Mwh for the same period this year. Those from NSW to Victoria rose from 17,000 Mwh to more than 466,000 Mwh.
The situation in Victoria was so bad that AEMO had to twice activate its emergency reserves scheme, including on January 19 in the middle of the Australian Open in Melbourne, which provides payments to big energy users if they agree to cut their power use.
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But Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio hit back, saying Mr Harwin had ignored the fact that NSW almost plunged into darkness last summer due to the failure of its coal generators.
“(NSW) was only saved … by electricity generated in Victoria,” she said. “Renewables are the key to Victoria’s energy future, and we won’t be taking lectures from the Liberals (on) energy.”