The national grid operator Transpower has issued a New Zealand-wide emergency over power shortage.
Its system operator advises there is a risk of insufficient generation and reserve offers to meet demand and provide coverage in a major N-1 event, which would be an event such as one of the five turbines at the Huntly Power Station failing unexpectedly.
Transpower asks people to reduce their power consumption if possible, by turning off non-essential lights and delaying charging mobile and laptop devices.
Normal generation is due to resume about 9am, and Transpower is working with local lines companies to manage controllable load by turning off hot water systems, says the spokesperson.
It warns that if the response from power companies was insufficient it might need to 'manage demand” by disconnecting power supplies 'without further notice”, which would mean a repeat of the power cuts that occurred on August 9 last year, when power was cut to 34,000 homes, reports Stuff.
Transpower warned in May that there was a heightened risk of power cuts on 37 days between June and August, singling out July 26 as a day for another potential grid emergency, but said then that it expected the risks to decrease as the dates got nearer and power companies responded to its warnings.
Transpower spokesperson Nathan Green says shortly before 9am that the shortage today had been caused by an issue at the Stratford 'TCC” gas power plant, which is owned by Contact Energy, and a sudden drop in wind speeds.
It expects it would be able to get through the 'morning peak” thanks to power companies managing ripple-controlled water unless anything unexpected happened, he says.
5 comments
Interesting.
Posted on 23-06-2022 09:56 | By The Professor
So what's going to happen when half of all Kiwis have EVs and plug them in to charge up at 6pm each day? The Government need to wake up and sort out the appalling infrastructure in NZ before implementing ridiculous initiatives such as EVs. We need clean energy such as nuclear.
Welcome to
Posted on 23-06-2022 11:55 | By an_alias
Yep this is the woke world Labour and Greens have created. Solar and Wind are not reliable or when you may need them. Govt has no plan or solution.
@ The Professor
Posted on 23-06-2022 13:35 | By morepork
I've been advocating clean fusion nuclear generation for a long time. However, we do live in an earthquake zone, so the plant would need to be on an offshore island. Unfortunately, the Greenie psyche sees only 3 mile island and Chernobyl, and doesn't admit that technology has moved on, and nuclear technology is no exception. France is entirely nuclear powered and exports energy to the UK and the rest of Europe. I've also commented about the lack of investment into our electricity reticulation, which means that some idiot hits a power pole and an entire community is without power for hours, because there is no alternative grid mapping possibility. I think EVs are good; it is the energy generation and distribution that is seriously flawed.
22nd
Posted on 23-06-2022 19:22 | By Yadick
This is the 22nd century. This shouldn't be happening. Appalling. We pay these power companies BIG money. Sort it out.
@ morepork......
Posted on 26-06-2022 09:15 | By groutby
...agreed.......political and personal gains seem to have taken over rational action to appease certain groups, most of which are not sensible, practical or just plain non-exstent at this time!... I hope as I am sure many would, that we as a small nation can over relatively short time move toward renewable energy sources such as nuclear and not have to do it all 'right now' with nothing tangible on the horizon to replace it, yet another idealistic plan doomed for failure...........
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