Appea says S Australia blackout shows importance of gas in energy mix

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) has claimed a win for the role of natural gas in South Australia’s power sector, citing a new report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

The preliminary report into last week’s state-wide blackout – brought on by severe storm activity – has highlighted the critical role that gas plays in restoring power to South Australia.

The report explains how the severe weather resulted in multiple transmission system faults, including, in the space of 12 seconds, the loss of three major 275 kV transmission lines north of Adelaide.

While power generation initially rode through the faults, following multiple faults in a short period, some 315 MW of wind generation was disconnected, affecting the region north of Adelaide.

AEMO noted that the uncontrolled reduction in generation increased the flow on the main Victorian interconnector to make up the deficit and resulted in the interconnector overloading.

To avoid damage to the interconnector, the automatic-protection mechanism activated, tripping the interconnector and resulting in the remaining customer load and electricity generation in South Australia being lost. This automatic-protection event resulted in the South Australia regional electricity market being suspended.

Appea CEO Dr Malcolm Roberts said while the blackout had been triggered by a severe storm, the AEMO report made it clear gas-fired generation, along with the Heywood interconnector, had enabled the system to be brought back on line.

“The report highlights once again the importance of maintaining a diverse energy mix to ensure system stability and security,” Roberts said.

“We already know that gas-fired generation is critical in supporting renewable energy because it is cleaner-burning and can be easily switched on and off to complement the intermittent nature of wind and solar power.

“But the AEMO report also shows that natural gas played a critical role in restoring power to South Australia following last week’s unprecedented blackout.

“As the report notes, wind farms cannot be used in the initial stages of a power system restoration due to the variable nature of their output.”

Roberts said further investigations by AEMO should help guide energy policy as Australia transitions to a low carbon future.

“Reducing emissions is vital, but reliability and security is just as important,” he added.

Roberts said the blackout also highlighted the benefit of supplying natural gas directly to homes and businesses.

“When the lights went out, tens of thousands of families were still able to cook their dinners, heat their homes and enjoy warm showers thanks to natural gas,” he said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said last week that there was “no doubt” that the state’s move toward renewable energy had strained the electricity grid. South Australia draws about 41% of its energy from renewable-energy sources.