A brief note to record that at 5:29:34 PM today AEMO have published Market Notice 116985 announcing a possible intervention to maintain power system security for the QLD region. Market notices of this form are now very familiar in recent times in other NEM regions, particularly SA, and at least once before in NSW but from a quick scan of the market notice history, this appears to be the first of its kind for the QLD region.
MARKET NOTICE 116985 ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Notice ID 116985 Notice Type ID Reserve Contract / Direction / Instruction Notice Type Description MARKET Issue Date Thursday, 13 June 2024 External Reference Possible intervention to manage power system security in QLD Region ______________________________________________________________________________________________ AEMO ELECTRICITY MARKET NOTICE Possible intervention to manage power system security in QLD region The synchronous generating units currently expected to be synchronised in North QLD from 2100 hrs 13/06/2024 will be inadequate to maintain a secure operating state in North QLD. AEMO estimates that, in the absence of sufficient market response by 2030 hrs 13/06/2024, AEMO may need to intervene by issuing a direction requiring one or more North QLD synchronous generating unit(s) to operate or remain synchronised to maintain power system security in QLD. Manager NEM Real Time Operations
PS 1
With the next-day-public market data we observed that a direction did occur and that it was the Townsville power station Yabulu that was directed on.
At the time of the market notice (17:29) it is now clear that, for the period of possible direction (from 21:00) Yabulu was offering no availability.
Yabulu outlook at time of market notice 116985.
Travelling forward to 23:00 and looking back we observed Yabulu operating under the direction at 83MW between 21:05 and 22:00. The direction was lifted for the 22:05 interval.
Yabulu bids and output looking back from 23:00.
Next day’s bid data shows that Yabulu (Townsville gas turbine) was directed to remain online from 21:00 to 22:00