Another widespread power outage in SA

[Norman]

This country is about to become the biggest producer of gas in the world and we can't even have a steady reliable supply of a natural energy source that is in great abundance not only in our state but even more so nationally.

We seriously need a real national party with a nationalist leader whose going to actually put Australia first and not just talk about it every election cycle.

A nationalist leader is the last thing we need.

Maybe a leader who nationalises critical utilities for the people, but not one that shuts us off from the rest of the world.

[claybro]

But the whole electricity supply does not need to be nationalised. Each state government can set aside an emergency provision supply, which is always generating a percentage of power by thermal generation, and leave the private players to bid for supply of the rest. Over time , the various technologies and costs will work themselves out. State governments it would appear have not built electricity generation infrastructure for about 50 years. It's a bit rich for them just to point the finger at the market after they have completely absolved themselves of having to contribute to what wS previously their entire responsibility.

[mshagg]

LOR2 in South Australia currently due to problems at Heywood. Be interesting to see how we go without it. Nice and windy up in the mid north I hope?

[PD2/20]

LOR2 in South Australia currently due to problems at Heywood. Be interesting to see how we go without it. Nice and windy up in the mid north I hope?

LOR2 now cancelled as APD - Heywood - Mortlake No.2 Line now restored after unplanned outage.

[Vee]

As PM Turnbull continues his attacks on SA renewables, stressing 'energy security' and promoting coal in Question Time, a Business lobby group has spoken out against funding new coal-powered generators. And a major Energy player urges the government to commit to renewables.

Port Augusta remains in limbo and Hazlewood Power Station ("one of the dirtiest, emissions intensive power plants in Australia") is scheduled to close at the end of March. Australia needs a national plan of action. Other states have storms etc, blackouts, heatwaves and other phenomena and 'load shedding'.

Turnbull faces growing discontent ...

First off the mark was business lobby outfit the Australian Industry Group, with a point-blank rebuttal of the Government's suggestions it remained open to a coal-fired future.

Given no bank on the planet is willing to finance new coal-powered generators, the response was understandable and highlighted the growing frustration among industry, particularly manufacturers, that as the nation's ageing generators are shut, nothing serious is being done to address the impending energy crisis.

Next came a full page advertisement in a national daily from Energy Australia, owner of one of the country's dirtiest coal-powered generators at Yallourn, urging the Government to commit to renewables.

Canberra 'trench warfare' blasted

As if that wasn't enough, NAB chairman Ken Henry let loose with a vitriolic spray about the "trench warfare" in Canberra as politicians hunkered down in a "dreadful spectacle" over increasingly urgent issues such as budget repair, tax reform, population growth, infrastructure, energy security and climate change.

ABC News:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-27/v ... er/8305006

[claybro]

"No bank in the world is willing to finance new coal fired power stations eh- and yet all over the world, in such diverse countries such as Japan, China, Germany, India and many other Asian and Eastern European countries, there are literally hundreds possibly thousands of under construction or planned coal fired power stations. So whilst we have so called experts repeatedly telling us coal is out of the mix, evidently the rest of the world does not agree. Ironically, we sit in some of the cleanest burning coal in the world, and demand is INCREASING, yet we continue to try to discount it as an option. Talk about political ideology..

[Goodsy]

"No bank in the world is willing to finance new coal fired power stations eh- and yet all over the world, in such diverse countries such as Japan, China, Germany, India and many other Asian and Eastern European countries, there are literally hundreds possibly thousands of under construction or planned coal fired power stations. So whilst we have so called experts repeatedly telling us coal is out of the mix, evidently the rest of the world does not agree. Ironically, we sit in some of the cleanest burning coal in the world, and demand is INCREASING, yet we continue to try to discount it as an option. Talk about political ideology..

There's no such thing as clean burning coal, it's a complete fabrication from the coal industry. There are "cleaner" ways of burning coal like carbon capture, or modern efficient turbines.
Clean coal is just as much political ideology as not building new coal power plants.

Literally every major nation building project has massive amounts of political ideology behind it, you can't escape it. You just take in to account the information that's out there and consider your options when you're at the polls. Which is too bad because no side is seriously pushing for nuclear

[claybro]

No where did I mention "clean burning coal" only that we sit on some of the cleanest most efficient burning coal in the world. No fossil fuel is clean, just that in a modern world which requires reliable energy, there has to be a trade off. Something has to generate over 50% of our base load that wind and solar cannot. Sufficient industrial scale storage technology is still years off. Coal is actually Increasing in electricity generation worldwide, so we had better find a wY of cleaning it up fast, use the cleanest versions -rather than putting all our eggs in the wind turbine basket. Gas you say? Well part of the politicising of energy has meant that state governments are banning all new exploration of gas. So stop exporting gas you say and use our natural gas for domestic electricity generation.. well then the gas we are no longer exporting will be replaced by something else in those countries, probably coal.

[mshagg]

Fun stuff happening in the NEM this afternoon.

Looks like lightning has been causing havoc on transmission lines around NSW and Vic, and a problem at Quarantine PS on Torrens Island, has lead to a 500MW limit placed on Heywood and they ordered Pelican Point to fire up the second generator.

As PM Turnbull continues his attacks on SA renewables, stressing 'energy security' and promoting coal in Question Time, a Business lobby group has spoken out against funding new coal-powered generators. And a major Energy player urges the government to commit to renewables.

Port Augusta remains in limbo and Hazlewood Power Station ("one of the dirtiest, emissions intensive power plants in Australia") is scheduled to close at the end of March. Australia needs a national plan of action. Other states have storms etc, blackouts, heatwaves and other phenomena and 'load shedding'.

Turnbull faces growing discontent ...

First off the mark was business lobby outfit the Australian Industry Group, with a point-blank rebuttal of the Government's suggestions it remained open to a coal-fired future.

Given no bank on the planet is willing to finance new coal-powered generators, the response was understandable and highlighted the growing frustration among industry, particularly manufacturers, that as the nation's ageing generators are shut, nothing serious is being done to address the impending energy crisis.

Next came a full page advertisement in a national daily from Energy Australia, owner of one of the country's dirtiest coal-powered generators at Yallourn, urging the Government to commit to renewables.

Canberra 'trench warfare' blasted

As if that wasn't enough, NAB chairman Ken Henry let loose with a vitriolic spray about the "trench warfare" in Canberra as politicians hunkered down in a "dreadful spectacle" over increasingly urgent issues such as budget repair, tax reform, population growth, infrastructure, energy security and climate change.

ABC News:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-27/v ... er/8305006

This is pretty bad reporting from the ABC and the kind of thing that garners speculation of bias and having an agenda.

Consider Verrender's summation of the AIG statement here (emphasis mine):

First off the mark was business lobby outfit the Australian Industry Group, with a point-blank rebuttal of the Government's suggestions it remained open to a coal-fired future

Against the actual statement from the the AIG:

While private investment in new coal-fired power stations would be difficult, it is important that energy policy be technology neutral and open to all options that can deliver the reliable, affordable and clean energy we need. Market mechanisms have the greatest potential to meet the test of technology neutrality.

They're not rebutting anything, they're certainly not writing off coal's role in the energy mix going forward. Quite the opposite. The AIG's point seems to be "let's not rule things in or out".

[SRW]

To be fair to the ABC, Verrender was writing an opinion piece not reporting.

[mshagg]

To be fair to the ABC, Verrender was writing an opinion piece not reporting.

Yes, that's a completely fair distinction. That said, he has a fairly senior editorial role and "even business hates carbon!" feels like it has been adopted as the editorial narrative on the ABC.

I don't have a problem with the lens through which the ABC views the world, and it's ridiculous to suggest that climate skepticism deserves a gurnsey in the interests of pursing the charter's mandate of balance, but they don't do themselves any favours lol.

[bits]

http://www.aemo.com.au/Media-Centre/Med ... -Australia

[bits]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 3080c69401

"SOUTH Australians have been told they can return to normal power use, after the threat of more blackouts during the evening peak period was avoided, in the wake of a fire at the Torrens Island power station that significantly reduced gas supply."

[crawf]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 3080c69401

"SOUTH Australians have been told they can return to normal power use, after the threat of more blackouts during the evening peak period was avoided, in the wake of a fire at the Torrens Island power station that significantly reduced gas supply."

The lights at work (city office building) flickered a couple of times but that was it. All the electronics stayed on.

[bits]

You know what could be a smart political move?
SA Labor to announce that new gas exploration will be linked to supply of gas fired stations in Adelaide.
SA Liberal have a ban on new exploration which will make for an election argument of "Liberal will withdraw the gas allocated to power stations putting reliability at risk and prices will sky rocket, undoing all the great work SA Labor has done"

The gas will come from liberal stronghold farmland, because that is where the gas is.

The liberals will be bent over a barrel.
Lose votes over power or lose votes over mining in farmland.

Lets find out in 12 hours...