by frog
Transpower has just released a public statement of concern over the lake levels and their ability to cope over winter. As I have stated in many a prior post, the end of April is when you look at these things, (not February, Gerry), as well as look at prudent ways to manage any risk. It looks as though that is exactly what is happening.
“Action is already being taken by the industry to conserve water and this has seen a number of noticeable changes on the power system – high running of thermal plant in the North Island, greater southbound flow across the HVDC link and measures undertaken to relieve the constraints that this has been placing on the transmission system.”
“Current high spot prices will also encourage large industry customers to conserve electricity.”
“The industry does ask at this stage, that consumers be prudent with their energy use and to switch off any appliances at the wall, lights and heating/air conditioning that are not being used. We are not asking for consumers to go without electricity that they need – just to be mindful going forward of conserving electricity that is not being used.”
Many frogblog readers would think that I would be all over this like a rash. Not so. Prudent management is needed when you have such a high level of renewables in the system, and so far the market mechanisms are coping just fine. It appears that Transpower has been appointed to front what used to be called the winter group. The full press release shows that they are well prepared for further measures should the usual May rain not eventuate.
It’s all about risk management. I’m sure the urge to downplay the situation is rife amongst the politicians. Even Gerry Brownlee can’t demand both a free market and heavy handed government intervention at the same time, despite his lame efforts so far. Right now the engineers are saying not to panic and to do what little you can to save some power, without depriving yourself of the essentials. With the Taranaki Combined Cycle (360MW) plant now fully operational once again and the Pole 1 of Cook Straight back in northward service for winter peak events, we should be alright – providing we get just a bit more rain. (Down south, please, Wellington has had enough this week. 
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Published in Economy, Work, & Welfare | Environment & Resource Management | Media by frog on Thu, May 1st, 2008
Tags: electricity, hydro, lake, rain, shortage, transpower
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
rumour on the street is mr Brownlee has plans for a coal fired power station in John Key’s electorate in Helensvile (Rodney), that the first step is a gas fired power station (Genesis are currently applying for this)…
Maybe that is why mr SEXY COAL Brownlee seems a bit conflicted at the moment…
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Gerry Brownlee is rattling his sabre again, laying all his ‘blame’ at labour’s feet rather than acknowledging his own party’s hand in trashing the world’s second most efficient electricity system in 1992 and creating today’s pseudo market with the so called “Max Bradford Reforms”.
Now he wants the government to intervene, before the market he helped create even has a go at dealing with the risks. How lame can you be Gerry?
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ALways the dilemma wiht the Nats – they are apparantly in favour of free enterprise and markets but often are the quickest to call for arbitrary law changes when things don;t go as they like.
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shudup .. will yous shudup yous people,
don’t say things,
for gods sake we only got one Nat MP in Christchurch
NZ NAT GOVT 2008
wish we had better dudes, promise you i try to do better ,
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All the more reason to get into power with the Nats (if they get in) to keep them honest. Work with them, not against. If the Greens then get the ‘blame’ so National can save face then thats a fine arrangement by me.
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there is no honesty in them. john key was a climate skeptic. the flat earth socierty spotted don brash at the last climate skeptic convention in auckland.
the only honesty from them is that blue greens was set up to try to steel green votes.
honesty is saying ‘sexycoal’ brownlee supports coal, and the power holder are the same despite brash leaving.
privatization, tax cuts, DOC staff cuts and maybe nuclear are on the board… what isn’t is honesty
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not to say that the best of the nats can’t be worked with, just that their aggenda is very clear. hence there being hardly any woman, katherine rich leaving and them having a white man, for maori affairs.
national is the old white man party, if winston peters wasnt part maori – they could challenge him for his speciality — the grey power vote.
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Has anyone got any data on who uses the electricity? When our population increases by a quuater 1990 to 2004 who made all the money and who is paying?
Pegasus town is planning thermal pools>
Stage 1 – 564 sections sold on launch
Special area released for international markets Pegasus Town
http://www.propertyworldme.com/content/html/1557.asp
………………………………..
Almost 95,000 Brits have arrived in the past decade.
Real estate agents have profited, with Bayleys selling more than $300m property to British buyers through UK-based marketing.
The developers behind Pegasus are also targeting disaffected Brits with a marketing exhibition at New Zealand House in London next month.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10499626&pnum=0
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jh – there is a pretty good breakdown in the Energy Data File from MED.
Chapter G has the electricity breakdown. (New version due out next month)
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/StandardSummary____15169.aspx
Here is the latest spreadsheet update to the Energy Data File, but it may not update the breakdown of users in quite as much detail:
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/ContentTopicSummary____20511.aspx
Enjoy. It’s a gold mine!
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There is also interesting info here on demand and supply forecasts out to 2050 – most of it apart from the coloured lies is beyond me
http://www.electricitycommission.govt.nz/opdev/modelling/gpas/index.html
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More info here on growth assumptions
http://www.electricitycommission.govt.nz/opdev/modelling/gpas/index.html
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Has this been covered Frog?
At the end of a cold and stormy winter, the country has just 12 days of coal reserves at most power stations. Some provinces, including Hebei, bordering Beijing, have less than a week’s coal left. This is a record low, the state electricity regulatory commission revealed on Tuesday.
http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/3898
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jh – no. it’s a great post over on the oil drum which I read last night. I was debating whether or not to post on it and thought I’d wait for the weekend. China’s shortfalls are NZ’s windfalls. This is where all the Pike River and Happy Valley coal are headed!
Incidentally, it is also where all the diesel is headed too. The AA put out a press release an hour ago calling for an inquiry into petrol and diesel prices, particularly diesel. I have read articles this week stating that there is a bidding war for international diesel. the US military needs it for the war, the 33 countries currently having electricity crisis need it for generators and the Chinese need it to make sure nothing goes wrong in Beijing this year as well as for back-up for their poorly supplied coal plants. It’s a global bidding war!
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I don’t get the point of the second graph
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/Page____21438.aspx
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jh, it is a pointless graph. Electricity consumption per consumer, by sector, is a much more interesting and revealing graph, you’ll have to DIY with Calc or Excel. The really big growth in consumption hasn’t come from household or farms or factories, it has come from shops and offices.
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