From JoNova

By Jo Nova

The Victorian state electricity grid is running close to the wire

They’ve run their largest coal plants into the ground — to the point of neglect where an air duct “detached from the boiler end and fell to the floor”. So, one 380MW unit will be out of action at Yallourn for two weeks. And it’s just the latest in an ongoing series of failures.

We are the Renewable Crash Test Dummy — this is what the unfree, fixed, forced market produces when the best assets in a system are treated like planet-wrecking trolls.

A Hi-Tech transition, my foot… 

The Net Zero forced transition is just vandalism of a perfectly good electricity grid.

The whole 1,450 MW plant at Yallourn makes 20% of the state’s electricity but has been described as “limping” along into retirement –– (a lot like Victorian manufacturing.)

One report on the power station found that at least one of its four generators was out of action for a third of the time last year. Yallourn was supposed to close in 2032, but under siege from heavily subsidized unreliable generators, and a rigged market, that’s been brought forward to 2028.

It doesn’t help that it is owned by EnergyAustralia which is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Light and Power (CLP) Group. Presumably the CCP won’t mind at all if Victoria burns less coal, loses more smelters and can’t compete with it in the race to build data centres?

Things got so hairy last week, Paul McArdle of WattClarity has written nine articles about “June 12th”, when the wind power (marked in green) produced virtually nothing of the state’s electricity. (Graph from Anero.id)

The state used 13% of their annual gas supply to keep the lights on for three days. 

Saner heads are pointing out the obvious risks:

The Queensland government told the Victorian government off, saying it couldn’t keep “bailing out Victoria’s bad decisions”.

And CEO’s are calling for more coal and gas to give the system a buffer and warning that it could fall over any time:

Transgrid CEO Brett Redman’s ‘cold showers’ warning as Victoria’s energy grid stripped thin

By Perry Williams, The Australian

The transmission giant delivering the roll-out of renewables infrastructure has advocated for authorities to accelerate the development of gas plants and retain a buffer of coal after warning the power grid has been “stripped thin” of supply.

Transgrid chief executive Brett Redman, a former boss of AGL Energy, said it was time to prioritise putting “buffer” back into the system.

“We’ve really stripped the system very, very thin. And so, the events a couple of years ago where we nearly saw widespread outages and even what’s happening in Victoria in the last couple of weeks, we are in this world now where you cannot predict exactly when it will happen.

Meanwhile China Light and Power (who own EnergyAustralia) effectively said they are committed to “Net Zero” (in other countries): 

EnergyAustralia told The Australian it had made a pledge for net-zero emissions by 2050 and “closing Yallourn by 2028 is part of that commitment”. 

Why aren’t EnergyAustralia committed to keeping the lights on, keeping electricity prices low, and serving Australians? Hmm?

Does anyone really believe energy companies care about fixing the planetary weather a hundred years from now, or that it is appropriate for them to pursue their storm-stopping-witchcraft with essential public infrastructure?

What kind of lunacy is this? Not that they say it, but that we accept these ridiculous lines?