Blackouts and bushfires: Dangerous summer ahead for Aussies
Author: 9 NEWS Date Posted:6 September 2017
Australians have been told to brace for a summer marred by blackouts and a high risk of bushfires.
Four-hour power outages are possible for residents in South Australia and Victoria as electricity increasingly struggles to meet peak demand, according to a new report by The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
The report found that beyond this summer problems could worsen, and extend to New South Wales, if the government does not follow through on plans for new battery storage and diesel generators.
"The power system does not have the reserves it once had," AEMO chief executive Audrey Zibelman said today.
To balance peak summer demand in real time, targeted actions to provide additional firming capability have been recommended as necessary measures to reduce heightened supply risks.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the report highlighted the vulnerability of the nation's electricity supply, but said measures were in place to cover the immediate gap.
Meanwhile, authorities have warned that the southeast coast, including New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, should prepare for a potentially devastating bushfire season.
The country’s warm and drier winter season has caused a significant moisture deficit in the ground, according to Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
"The reality is we need a lot of rain to displace this moisture deficit across the landscape," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
He urged residents across the state, and particularly those living in high risk areas, to prepare their properties and talk with families about their bushfire survival plan.
It comes after a bushfire in Kurnell, south of Sydney, which has ripped through 350 hectares of land since Sunday.
