A new record in peak energy demand has been reached in Queensland thanks to extreme weather conditions across the state.
Powerlink advised that at 5pm on 22 January 2024, actual demand in the state reached 11,005MW. The previous record was achieved on 17 March 2023 at 10,070MW.
The new record is an increase of 935MW, or 9.3 per cent.
Queensland State Minister for Energy, Mick de Brenni, said he was confident that the state could meet the record demand despite the distribution network struggling.
“Energy Queensland has advised of some localised outages due to extreme weather, including the ongoing heatwave, and storm conditions impacting transformers on the network,” Mr de Brenni said.
Queensland Rail said that some train lines had to be slowed down due to the extreme weather.
Powerlink Chief Executive, Paul Simshauser, said, “Powerlink’s network has performed well and has provided Queenslanders with reliable power while they beat the heat.
“All parts of the energy sector across the state have worked tirelessly through a day which promised to challenge the entire network.
“Keeping our network operating safely in extreme conditions is an outcome we plan for and are proud of,” Mr Simshauser said.
