The week started with gusto right across the NEM as demand levels in NSW soared, bringing the whole-NEM demand to about 31,000MW – as shown in NEM-Watch:
The first chart illustrates the solid prices exerienced in the
afternoon, when demand levels in Queensland rose to almost 8,000MW (not shown on the chart, but
you can see this in NEM-Review).
You can also note the following:
(a) A coincident reduction in output at Tarong power station (units 1, 2 and 4 reduced output
from 350MW to 280MW) would have had the impact of sustaining the price spike;
(b) CS Energy and Stanwell Corporation units can be seen to increase output to
supply the additional demand.
The second chart illustrates the solid prices exerienced in the
afternoon, when demand levels in NSW rose to above 12,000MW (as shown above in NEM-Watch, and
which you can also trend through NEM-Review).
You can also note the following:
(a) There was a substantial drop in production at the two Hunter Valley coal plants
(Bayswater and Liddell) as 7 units collectively reduced output by 840MW.
(b) There was also a drop in production of about 180MW at Delta’s Mt Piper station.
(c) No significant change in production was noted for Eraring station.
The third chart illustrates the solid prices exerienced in the
afternoon in Victoria (as in the rest of the NEM).
In addition, it can be seen that the price spikes experienced early in the morning coincided
with reductions in output at both Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B stations:
(a) All 4 units at Loy Yang B reduced output from 383-425MW to 300MW in the period to 2am.
This low level of production was mostly maintained through until 7am (NEM time).
(b) Both Loy Yang B units had their output reduced from 500MW to about 392MW for the
period 1:30am to 7am.
As can be seen, 2 significant price spikes eventuated during this period. It should be noted
that this spike did not transfer through to NSW and QLD (as seen in the charts above).
The final chart illustrates same period in South Australia.
This chart is very similar to that for Victoria, with the spikes experienced in the morning
coupled with the solid prices experienced NEM-wide (i.e. mainland) in the afternoon. In
particular, please note that:
(a) TRU Energy (in its Torrens A & B stations) was called on to make up for the loss in
production at the Loy Yang stations during the morning.
(b) All the highlighted stations show solid contributions during the afternoon peak
in demand.
Paul was one of the founders of Global-Roam in February 2000. He is currently the CEO of the company and the principal author of WattClarity. Writing for WattClarity has become a natural extension of his work in understanding the electricity market, enabling him to lead the team in developing better software for clients.
Before co-founding the company, Paul worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the Queensland Electricity Commission in the early 1990s. He also gained international experience in Japan, the United States, Canada, the UK, and Argentina as part of his ES Cornwall Memorial Scholarship.
One of 12 articles on the months past in the NEM. Here we examine the trends in price and demand across the NEM for September, and take a closer look at the effects of the 2007 drought on this particular month.
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