NSW is being urged to conserve energy, after fears that the combination of maintenance, transmission outages, low wind and an early onset of winter could continue to disrupt energy supply across the state in coming days.
Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) CEO Daniel Westerman who suspended the spot market in the National Electricity Market (NEM) on Wednesday said that it had become impossible to continue to operate secure and reliable supply of electricity that met the standards of the National Electricity Rules.
“The situation in recent days has posed challenges to the entire energy industry and suspending the market would simplify operations during the significant outages across the energy supply chain.”
Mr Westerman said that the market would resume shortly with generators returning usual market rules as soon as the supply challenges were able to be addressed.
“We are confident today’s actions will deliver the best outcomes for Australian consumers, and as we return to normal conditions, the market-based system will once again deliver value to homes and businesses,” he said.
Earlier this week several South Australian suburbs had their power cut for up to 45 minutes from energy operators to protect the power system.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed that further blackouts and load shedding would likely be able to be avoided since AEMO’s takeover.
