In NSW on the 8th of May at 5.25pm the spot price of electricity hit $16,600/MWh. This forced the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to introduce the administered price period of $600 per megawatt hour at 7.45pm on Wednesday after prices spiked above $10,000 per MWh on Wednesday afternoon.
The move marked only the second time in 25 years that administered pricing for energy has been used in NSW with the previous occurrence during the 2022 national energy crisis, consultancy Watt Clarity said. Half of Origin Energy's Eraring coal plant – the country's largest coal station – was offline on Thursday morning, data shows. From a report of Perry Williams – The Australian 9/5/24.
Even as half of the Eraring coal plant was offline in NSW, black coal was providing 51% of NSW’s electricity production. IMAGINE IF THERE WAS NO COAL PRODUCED ELECTRICITY IN NSW IN 2035.
THIS RED WARNING LIGHT UNDERLINES OUR DEMAND THAT THE CLOSURE OF ALL COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS BE RECONSIDERED AND BECOMES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
But if they are closed, then (beginning with Liddell which closed in April 2023, Eraring in 2025, Yallourn in (2032 now 2028), Bayswater in 2033, with Loyang A in 2045)..AND THAT NONE OF THESE COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS BE DEMOLISHED AFTER IT IS CLOSED, BUT BE MOTHBALLED, SO IT CAN BE RESTARTED IN THE EVENT, THAT A SHORTAGE OF ELECTRICAL GENERATION REQUIRES IT TO BE RESTARTED. Even if this requires the coal fired generators be compulsory acquired by the relevant Government, in the National interest.
May I strongly urge all business owners, large and small. CEO’s Managers, those in charge of aged care homes, and other public institutions, everyone in a position of management. Homeowners, etc. Reliable, low cost power is essential. Blackouts are a diabolically, serious issue. Talk with your management, boards, staff about how it will affect your business.
Any business who believes that their business is totally renewable energy powered is deluding themselves and doesn’t realise how wrong they are. It is more likely to be anywhere between 60% to 80% fossil fuels and only 20% to 30% unreliables, with the damage unreliables are doing to Rural Australia can only be described as reprehensible.
Continue to promote our petition as widely as possible. https://www.change.org/p/blackouts-will-be-devastating-they-must-be-avoided-at-all-costs
It is going to be a team effort but the rewards are going to be immense. Please donate $20 or $50 to promote the petition on Change.org and also share it on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp or Email.
KEEP INFORMED BY DAILY MONITORING THE AEMO DATA DASHBOARD. And alert your friends to watch the AEMO dashboard, the more know what's happening the better.
Particularly at 7pm and 7am (Or a time that suits you?) watch (and record) the mix of coal, gas hydro, batteries, solar and wind generation and the prices per MWh for each State on the AEMO dashboard.
Example: Eastern States 8th May 2024 6.00pm EST. Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 40% Brown Coal 17%, Gas 16%, Hydro 18% Diesel 1% Solar 0%, Wind 7%. A peak time and solar and wind only contributing 7%.
Comparing the production and price variance per MWh is surprising.
8/5/24 AEST 2.55pm
Qld $51/MWh 5.25pm $258/MWh Produced by Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 70%, Gas 5%, Hydro 1% Diesel 0% Solar 19%, Wind 4%.
NSW $300.04/MWh 5.25pm $16,600/MWh Produced by Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 51%, Gas 13%, Hydro 13% Diesel 0% Solar 14%, Wind 8%.
Note: In the case of NSW, while the spot price at 2.55pm was $300, it was predicted that in the next 30 minutes it would fall to $8.88/MWh. Then at 5.25pm it was $16,600/MWh. With a fuel mix of Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 55%, Gas 13%, Hydro 25% Diesel 0% Solar 0%, Wind 4%.
SA $87.02/MWH 5.25pm $300 Produced by Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Gas 45%, Diesel 0% Solar 7%, Wind 48%.
Vic $110.24/MWh 5.25pm $300Produced by Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Brown Coal 81%, Gas 6%, Hydro 15%, Solar 10%, Wind 3%.
Tas $100/MWh 5.25pm $289MWh Produced by Gas 17%, Hydro 71%, Wind 12%.
To me having such a variety of generators, with the price oscillating every 30 minutes or 48 times in 24 hours is a ridiculous way to produce and price electricity
We are up to 3,252 signatures, let’s increase it by many more, everyone’s future depends on it. Continue to spread the word, to all family, friends, anyone you meet, particularly discuss it with shop and business owners. Ask the question, “How do you plan to cope when the blackouts come? The possibility is to awful to contemplate.
WE MUST KEEP THOSE COAL FIRED GENERATORS GOING, TO KEEP OUR SOCIETY FROM HAVING POWER RATIONING AND EXHORBITANT ENERGY PRICES.