The Australian Power Authority says Energy outages in Victoria throughout fierce storms in February 2024 have been attributable to injury to electrical energy poles and energy traces, contradicting social media posts that blamed the “failure of renewable power”. A preliminary report by the Australian Power Market Operator stated there was sufficient electrical energy generated to fulfill demand within the state, however “grid constraints” have been stopping provide to houses and companies.
“Victoria has offered a snapshot of Australia's energy future with an enormous blackout as a result of failure of renewable power to deal with storms and demand,” learn a part of a submit on the X social community platform shared right here on February 14, 2024.
The submit was directed at Chris Bowen, Australia's local weather change and power minister after fierce storms within the state of Victoria on February 13 that, at their peak, knocked out energy to greater than half 1,000,000 houses and companies (archived hyperlink).
Different posts claiming that renewable power had “failed” have been shared elsewhere in X right here , right here and right here .
However power officers stated injury to infrastructure — transmission towers and energy traces — precipitated widespread energy outages to houses and companies.
Diffuse injury
In statements on the day of the storms, the Australian Power Market Operator (AEMO) – the nation's power authority – stated that main transmission traces have been down and that there was widespread injury to energy traces and important power infrastructure (archived hyperlink).
The subsequent day, Victoria's Division of Power, Atmosphere and Local weather Motion (DEECA) stated the extreme climate had introduced down “tons of of poles and energy traces” throughout the state (hyperlink archived).
Australia's nationwide broadcaster posted photographs of downed broadcast towers right here and right here (archived hyperlinks right here and right here).
In a preliminary report of the incident, AEMO stated the distribution community – somewhat than the era of electrical energy — was accountable for the outages (hyperlink archived).
He stated the collapse of the towers had a “vital influence on the Victorian energy system”.
“There was sufficient era within the Victoria area to fulfill demand, nonetheless, attributable to constraints on the community, this era was unable to offer the load,” the report stated.
Guillermo Narsilio, an infrastructure skilled on the College of Melbourne, agreed with AEMO's evaluation, telling AFP in a March 5 e mail that “energy traces and transmission towers falling down seem like the rapid trigger” (hyperlink archived).
He stated transmission towers and high-voltage energy traces “are engineered with a excessive diploma of resilience, however they don’t seem to be infallible,” particularly when confronted with “uncommon and powerful occasions.”
“Good design, upkeep, monitoring and operation are important; this have to be assumed [a] good and succesful workforce,” stated Narsilio.
Bruce Mountain of the College of Victoria additionally informed AFP in a March 6 telephone name that the collapse of important transmission traces and injury to the distribution community have been accountable for the ability outages ( hyperlink archived).
Mountain, who additionally heads the Victoria Power Coverage Centre, informed AFP that whereas two wind farms have been disconnected from the grid, as anticipated, this was a fail protected commonplace designed to forestall injury and guarantee stability” ( archived hyperlink).
“The outages don’t have anything to do with wind farms,” he stated.
The AFP has beforehand debunked deceptive claims concerning the reliability of renewable power right here and right here .
