The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has put contingency plans in place as Victoria and South Australia’s electricity grids come under pressure from extreme hot weather.
AEMO has called on Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT) providers to be on standby to deliver contingency support to provide additional supply across the two states with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting temperatures to top more than 40 degrees.
However, AEMO does not envisage any supply impact to Victorian and South Australian consumers.
But, with temperatures rising, and risks including the threat of bushfires, AEMO has determined the need to increase its operating reserve by enabling additional resources to be available should market generation reserves deplete.
AEMO Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Audrey Zibelman, said, “We have been planning for conditions like today, with a focus on ensuring an operating buffer to manage unforeseen incidents across the power system.
“We now have a range of dispatchable resources that can be used to strategically support the market as required, including battery storage, diesel generation and demand resources.”
AEMO will continue to monitor conditions closely in both Victoria and South Australia, and more broadly across the National Electricity Market.
