Increased electricity demand could lead to load shedding

As Australians battle the heatwave sweeping the country, electricity consumption levels have risen to potential record highs, placing additional strain on the national power system, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has reported.

A combination of intense weather, high electricity consumption and unplanned outages on the generation network has triggered the potential for load shedding to occur in parts of South Australia and Victoria.

Load shedding can sometimes be required when there is an imbalance between electricity demand and electricity supply. When there is a shortfall in the electricity supply, there can be a need to reduce demand very quickly to an acceptable level, or risk the entire electricity network becoming unstable.

If required, load shedding generally commences with industrial and commercial customers prior to any residential customers. This means some electricity customers will be without power for defined periods.

This week, Victoria and South Australia have recorded the highest levels of electricity consumption since January 2009, with a maximum demand of 10,151 MW recorded in Victoria and 3046 MW recorded in South Australia yesterday.

In South Australia, AEMO’s current estimate suggests electricity consumption of around 3200 MW and 3360 MW over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Electricity on a typical weekday at this time of the year in South Australia is around 1980 MW.

Some areas may be experiencing localised interruptions to electricity supplies as a result of these conditions, AEMO says.