How common is it that mainland frequency deviates outside the NOFB (normal operating frequency band)?
Let’s take a look.
In the chart below we can see there are relatively few excursions nowadays.
The wild years of frequency control are clear, evident between the start (2017) of the chart and 2020.
A March 2020 determination mandated PFR. The ensuing, staggered, rollout among generators began in late September 2020. The initiative had improved the situation markedly by as early as October 2020.
By Jan 2021 Mainland frequency excursions outside the NOFB were few and far between.
For interested readers, the rollout (re-implementation in many cases) of PFR was recorded in updates by AEMO.
The final update from 2023 provided insight into how generators responded to the requirement. The list of affected generators comprised 14 pages.
Some key providers and the implementation dates (month) are contained in the table below. It isn’t a full list – read the AEMO document for that. It does, however, demonstrate how the rollout didn’t just happen all at once, but over a number of months and years.
Example list of power stations that implemented the staggered rollout of mandatory PFR
| Month | Power Station (sample of power stations that implemented PFR) |
| 2020-09-01 | Vales Point |
| 2020-10-01 | Bawsyater, Eraring, Stanwell, Tarong North, Yallourn W, Newport |
| 2020-11-01 | Callide B, Loy Yang A, Tarong, Mortlake, MillMerran |
| 2020-12-01 | Loy Yang B, Callide C, Mt Piper, Tumut3 |
| 2021-01-01 | Jeeralang |
| 2021-03-01 | Torrens B |
| 2021-04-01 | Uranquinty |
| … | |
| 2022-07-01 | John Butters, Hornsdale PR |
| … |
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