Unexpected major power plant shutdown leaves thousands without power
- Replies 10
Victoria's largest power plant, AGL Energy’s Loy Yang A Power Station, shut down, leaving hundreds of thousands of Victorians without power.
This unexpected shutdown, coupled with bad weather that knocked out transmission lines, has led to a significant surge in electricity prices.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) described the outage, which occurred around 2 pm on Tuesday, 13 February, as a 'significant power system event'.
Wild storms also brought down Loy Yang A’s power lines.
‘The Moorabool to Sydenham 500 kilovolt transmission lines tripped, multiple generators disconnected from the grid, and some consumers experienced a loss of electricity supply,’ they said.
The shutdown of Loy Yang A, which is capable of a maximum capacity of 2210 megawatts and reportedly generates about 30 per cent of Victoria’s power requirements, forced the energy regulator to cut power to thousands.
The cause of the shutdown was attributed to 'multiple tripping of generation and transmission lines' in the state.
In response to the crisis, AEMO directed AusNet Services to enact load shedding—a process of cutting power ‘to keep the power system secure’.
‘Controlled load shedding is a mechanism AEMO uses as an absolute last resort to protect system security and prevent long-term damage to system infrastructure,’ the AEMO said.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio described the situation as 'dynamic'.
‘The number of power outages caused by the physical collapse of transmission towers has increased to 500,000,’ she said.
‘AEMO is working hard to restore power.’
After 5 pm on the same day, she posted on social media that one unit at Loy Yang A power station had been restored.
‘As a result, forced load shedding is no longer required to maintain grid stability,’ she said.
The minister also highlighted the impact of wild weather on the power supply.
D’Ambrosio had met with the CEO of AEMO ‘about the current unprecedented impact of extreme weather on our power grid’.
‘There are currently outages affecting around 300,000 customers across the state. This is due to the physical collapse of some transmission lines caused by the severe weather,’ she said.
‘This a very dynamic situation, so I will provide updates as the situation evolves and timelines for restoration of power become clear.’
‘AEMO and the operators of the transmission lines and generators are working closely with us.’
The shutdown of Loy Yang A and the subsequent power outages have had a significant impact on wholesale power prices in Victoria.
Prices increased to a staggering $16,600 per megawatt hour, which is much higher compared to usual rates.
Electricity infrastructure company CitiPower and Powecor stated that it was working to restore power to over 100,000 customers affected by the storm conditions in the state.
‘Crews are responding to more than 400 different faults across western and central Victoria, as well as Melbourne’s inner suburbs,’ a spokesperson said.
An AGL Energy spokesperson said the company was ‘currently investigating’ the cause of the shutdowns at its power station.
The Loy Yang A power station is scheduled to be closed by June 30, 2035, in accordance with a Structured Transition Agreement with the Victorian Government.
Meanwhile, with soaring energy prices becoming inevitable, some have been strategising to save more on power bills.
One Aussie invested in an energy-efficient technology and took advantage of government subsidies by installing solar panels, resulting in a power bill of less than $80 monthly. You can read more about the story here.
Have you been affected by the recent power outage? Let us know in the comments below.
This unexpected shutdown, coupled with bad weather that knocked out transmission lines, has led to a significant surge in electricity prices.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) described the outage, which occurred around 2 pm on Tuesday, 13 February, as a 'significant power system event'.
Wild storms also brought down Loy Yang A’s power lines.
AGL’s Loy Yang Power Station shut down and left thousands without power. Credit: AGL Official Website
‘The Moorabool to Sydenham 500 kilovolt transmission lines tripped, multiple generators disconnected from the grid, and some consumers experienced a loss of electricity supply,’ they said.
The shutdown of Loy Yang A, which is capable of a maximum capacity of 2210 megawatts and reportedly generates about 30 per cent of Victoria’s power requirements, forced the energy regulator to cut power to thousands.
The cause of the shutdown was attributed to 'multiple tripping of generation and transmission lines' in the state.
In response to the crisis, AEMO directed AusNet Services to enact load shedding—a process of cutting power ‘to keep the power system secure’.
‘Controlled load shedding is a mechanism AEMO uses as an absolute last resort to protect system security and prevent long-term damage to system infrastructure,’ the AEMO said.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio described the situation as 'dynamic'.
‘The number of power outages caused by the physical collapse of transmission towers has increased to 500,000,’ she said.
‘AEMO is working hard to restore power.’
After 5 pm on the same day, she posted on social media that one unit at Loy Yang A power station had been restored.
‘As a result, forced load shedding is no longer required to maintain grid stability,’ she said.
The minister also highlighted the impact of wild weather on the power supply.
D’Ambrosio had met with the CEO of AEMO ‘about the current unprecedented impact of extreme weather on our power grid’.
‘There are currently outages affecting around 300,000 customers across the state. This is due to the physical collapse of some transmission lines caused by the severe weather,’ she said.
‘This a very dynamic situation, so I will provide updates as the situation evolves and timelines for restoration of power become clear.’
‘AEMO and the operators of the transmission lines and generators are working closely with us.’
The shutdown of Loy Yang A and the subsequent power outages have had a significant impact on wholesale power prices in Victoria.
Prices increased to a staggering $16,600 per megawatt hour, which is much higher compared to usual rates.
Electricity infrastructure company CitiPower and Powecor stated that it was working to restore power to over 100,000 customers affected by the storm conditions in the state.
‘Crews are responding to more than 400 different faults across western and central Victoria, as well as Melbourne’s inner suburbs,’ a spokesperson said.
An AGL Energy spokesperson said the company was ‘currently investigating’ the cause of the shutdowns at its power station.
The Loy Yang A power station is scheduled to be closed by June 30, 2035, in accordance with a Structured Transition Agreement with the Victorian Government.
Meanwhile, with soaring energy prices becoming inevitable, some have been strategising to save more on power bills.
One Aussie invested in an energy-efficient technology and took advantage of government subsidies by installing solar panels, resulting in a power bill of less than $80 monthly. You can read more about the story here.
.png){kind=icon}
