Hundreds of thousands lose power in Australia after weather downs power lines

AGL Energy

13/02/2024 06:47

By Lewis Jackson
       SYDNEY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Large chunks of Australia's
Victoria state lost power on Tuesday afternoon when a major
power plant shut down because a storm knocked out parts of the
state's electricity transmission network.
    AGL's  AGL.AX  Loy Yang A power station, responsible for
about a third of the state's power, was forced to shut down on
Tuesday afternoon after several towers along a major section of
the state's transmission network collapsed in bad weather.
    More than 500,000 homes or businesses had lost power, state
energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio said in a social media post.
    As the plant shut down, electricity prices spiked across the
state to their maximum of A$16,600 per megawatt hour, up from
around A$200, according to data from the Australian Energy
Market Operator (AEMO).
    In response, AEMO ordered electricity usage cut across the
network, according to a statement on Tuesday afternoon. 
    D'Ambrosio said in her post that one of Loy Yang's four
units had been brought back online and the mandatory power cuts
had ended.
    AGL did not immediately respond to questions about the
status of Loy Yang.
    The failure comes amid repeated warnings from AEMO that
urgent investment is required to ensure power supply remains 
reliable as the country's fleet of aging coal-fired power plants
are retired.
    

 (Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Michael Perry)
 ((lewis.jackson@thomsonreuters.com; +61477406822; Reuters
Messaging: @lewjackk))