❓ The Minister for Energy addresses concerns about electricity supply reliability during summer, highlighting record low demand, the impact of rooftop solar, and challenges due to private sector failures, while assuring government action to manage capacity.
AnsweredQoN 587Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
587. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to delivering a safe, stable and secure
electricity system. Can the minister update the house on this government's
work on strengthening the energy supply and bolstering its reliability during
summer?
587. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to delivering a safe, stable and secure
electricity system. Can the minister update the house on this government's
work on strengthening the energy supply and bolstering its reliability during
summer?
AnswerView source ↗
Over the weekend we had two very
significant events in the electricity system, and I am sure the shadow minister
is across this as well. We had two record lowest system demands—on
Saturday at 683 megawatts, and on Sunday at 626 megawatts of system demand.
People often talk about maximum demand, but they do not realise managing
minimum demand is equally complex. When I became minister, I was told that this
would not be possible, that we could not go
below 900 megawatts in Western Australia's south west interconnected
system. We are now one-third below that. That is because of the changes
we have made to the operating environment, the technical rules and the market
structure of the system in Western Australia, and I want to compliment the
Australian Energy Market Operator, Western Power and all the participants in
the market. That meant that 74 per cent of underlying demand was being provided
by people's rooftop solar, because we endorse and celebrate putting on
rooftop solar. I know that is opposed by the Liberal Party, but we drive that.
That is one of the really great achievements of the people who manage the
energy system here in Western Australia.
Yes,
we have a challenge now for getting through this summer. I have already given
an answer to the shadow minister about coal supply, but people should
know about three other things. BP, when it shut its refinery, also shut the cogeneration facility that provided 80 megawatts
of capacity in Western Australia. There were two waste-to-energy projects—so
strongly supported by the previous government—that have a combined
total of 54 megawatts, and they have not been delivered on time because of
their own challenges. That is 134 megawatts of supply from the private sector
that will not be available to the system this summer because of deliberate
actions or failures to act by the private sector. The good news is that the
government of Western Australia, working with the Australian Energy Market
Operator, is responding to that situation. That is the reason we will have a shortage
of capacity this summer; it is not anything to do with Synergy. That is why, by
managing the coal supply at this time of year, we are going to keep Synergy in
a position to support Western Australia's electricity network. We are
taking action, with the Australian Energy Market Operator, to fill the gap left
by the private sector through these three failures. That is why that certified
capacity is not going to be available to us this year—that
certification being run by the Australian Energy Market Operator—but we
are going to manage it through the good work of Synergy and Western Power,
combining with the Australian Energy Market Operator and some private sector
operators, to make sure that we have the capacity we need for this summer.
significant events in the electricity system, and I am sure the shadow minister
is across this as well. We had two record lowest system demands—on
Saturday at 683 megawatts, and on Sunday at 626 megawatts of system demand.
People often talk about maximum demand, but they do not realise managing
minimum demand is equally complex. When I became minister, I was told that this
would not be possible, that we could not go
below 900 megawatts in Western Australia's south west interconnected
system. We are now one-third below that. That is because of the changes
we have made to the operating environment, the technical rules and the market
structure of the system in Western Australia, and I want to compliment the
Australian Energy Market Operator, Western Power and all the participants in
the market. That meant that 74 per cent of underlying demand was being provided
by people's rooftop solar, because we endorse and celebrate putting on
rooftop solar. I know that is opposed by the Liberal Party, but we drive that.
That is one of the really great achievements of the people who manage the
energy system here in Western Australia.
Yes,
we have a challenge now for getting through this summer. I have already given
an answer to the shadow minister about coal supply, but people should
know about three other things. BP, when it shut its refinery, also shut the cogeneration facility that provided 80 megawatts
of capacity in Western Australia. There were two waste-to-energy projects—so
strongly supported by the previous government—that have a combined
total of 54 megawatts, and they have not been delivered on time because of
their own challenges. That is 134 megawatts of supply from the private sector
that will not be available to the system this summer because of deliberate
actions or failures to act by the private sector. The good news is that the
government of Western Australia, working with the Australian Energy Market
Operator, is responding to that situation. That is the reason we will have a shortage
of capacity this summer; it is not anything to do with Synergy. That is why, by
managing the coal supply at this time of year, we are going to keep Synergy in
a position to support Western Australia's electricity network. We are
taking action, with the Australian Energy Market Operator, to fill the gap left
by the private sector through these three failures. That is why that certified
capacity is not going to be available to us this year—that
certification being run by the Australian Energy Market Operator—but we
are going to manage it through the good work of Synergy and Western Power,
combining with the Australian Energy Market Operator and some private sector
operators, to make sure that we have the capacity we need for this summer.
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