Transpower says it is planning ahead to manage tight electricity supply as demand increases during winter.
The national grid operator says the tight supply situations during short periods of peak demand ae due to increasing electricity demand as well as New Zealand's transition to a future with a decarbonised economy powered by renewable electricity generation.
Trasnpower chief executive Alison Andrew says higher volumes of renewable but intermittent generation-like wind has left the electricity system susceptible to equipment faults and changing weather conditions at times of high peak demand, particularly during winter cold snaps.
"The transition to higher levels of renewables is critical but we also need other flexible generation capacity or demand response that can react quickly to support it during times of high usage."
Alison says the operator is working to ensure consumers are not disconnected due to an electricity supply shortfall at these times.
Transpower was recently fined $150,000 for its role in the mid-winter blackouts of 2021.
Around 34,000 households lost power on one of the coldest nights of the year in August 2021, as insufficient supplies were arranged for the surge in demand.
An industry panel ruled Transpower breached an industry code in the management of power supplies, and communications with power companies.
4 comments
Will only get worse.
Posted on 24-05-2023 10:36 | By The Professor
What is Transpower going to do when the Government has forced us all into electric vehicles and we plug them in to charge at 6:00 pm?
Overit
Posted on 24-05-2023 13:03 | By overit
Well we have electric cars, bikes etc. Some new deal at the Smelter up north, its going to be interesting.
Lights Out
Posted on 25-05-2023 06:22 | By Thats Nice
Time to invest in candles and torches I feel.
Muppets.
Posted on 25-05-2023 13:11 | By morepork
We could easily supply the TOTAL electrictiy requirement, for the next 100 years (before refueling) with 4 standard (1GW) nuclear fusion power plants, but we rather choose to disfigure the landscape with bloody great fans that kill birds, look horrible, and are a noise pollution, because it's PC. They don't even produce a reliable, sustained source of energy. The coming water crisis hasn't even been recognized yet (and could be easily solved with a desalination plant for Tauranga), and the current congestion of our roadways wasn't predicted, when it should have been. Sometimes we behave like myopic muppets and then there is great wailing and gnashing of teeth when the implemented solutions are seen to be flawed. Anything that is innovative or "not what we always do" is seen to be anathema. Sadly, we seldom get what is needed, but we always get what we deserve.
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