Sydney's Grid Braces For The Strain
Posted by Big Gav
The SMH reports that its warming up in Sydney (the contrast between last year's "summer" and this one is amazing) and the grid is creaking at the seams - We love a sunburnt country (our air-conditioners, too). If someone gets around to expanding the grid it would be nice if they made it a smart one too...
BLACKOUTS that left Adelaide and Melbourne residents sweating in soaring temperatures could hit Sydney as power grids strain and the city braces for 42-degree heat.
The Energy Networks Association, which represents gas and electricity companies, said grids were stretched to capacity and warned of more power failures. "More blackouts will come as we get warmer temperatures. We've got temperatures and energy demand both at records at the moment," the association's chief executive, Andrew Blyth, said.
The Federal Government had to invest $50 billion in upgrading energy infrastructure nationally to drag it out of the 1950s, he said.
Energy Australia said Sydney's salvation had been hot days falling on weekends, when demand from industries dropped off. The company, which supplies Sydney's electricity with Integral Energy, said it was pumping $8.5 million over five years into maintenance and upgrades so the network would continue to cope on hot days and cold nights in the future.
A "contingency" was built into the grid to deal with spikes in demand in extreme weather, Energy Australia spokesman Anthony O'Brien said.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 42 degrees in the west on Saturday and Sunday and 38 degrees on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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