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Hundreds of thousands of Australians suffer power outages after weather downs power lines
Vapour rises from cooling towers at the Loy Yang coal fired power station, about 150 km (93 miles) east of Melbourne in Victoria state April 2, 2012. REUTERS/Sonali Paul/File Photo
A large portion of Victoria state in Australia experienced a power outage on Tuesday afternoon due to the shutdown of a major power plant caused by storm damage to the electricity transmission network.
AGL’s Loy Yang A power station, which accounts for approximately one-third of the state’s power supply, was compelled to close down after severe weather conditions led to the collapse of several transmission towers along a key section of the network.
State energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio reported on social media that over 500,000 homes or businesses were affected by the outage.
As a result of the plant’s closure, electricity prices surged to A$16,600 per megawatt hour, a sharp increase from the usual A$200, as indicated by data from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
AEMO responded by implementing cuts to electricity usage across the network, according to a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.
D’Ambrosio mentioned in her post that one of Loy Yang’s four units had been restored, ending the mandatory power cuts.
AGL stated in a release that efforts were underway to bring three of Loy Yang’s units back online by Tuesday evening.
“We are collaborating with AEMO and other stakeholders to investigate the cause of the incident,” AGL added.
This incident occurs amidst repeated warnings from AEMO about the urgent need for investment to maintain a reliable power supply, particularly as the nation’s aging coal-fired power plants are being retired.
