Australia: Largest Coal Exporter Requests Citizens To Switch Off Electricity Amid Power Crisis

Citizens of New South Wales and Sydney have been asked not to use electricity from 6 pm to 8 pm every day, said the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, on Thursday, June 16, to save power during its worst energy crisis.

This occurred just a day after the government temporarily shut down the electricity market due to outages in the old, worn, and torn coal-fired power plant. Many coal-fired units were offline for maintenance.

Bowen addressed the people on television from the capital Canberra saying, "If you have a choice about when to run certain items, don't run them from 6 to 8 pm." This would lessen the likelihood of blackouts during peak winters, he claimed, as reported by The Straits Time.

At the same time, Craig Wilson, a local, tweeted about the light show on the Sydney Opera House that is still on during these power outages.

Sydney please stop wasting electricity. Turn off the air con. Dim the lights. We're trying to keep Vivid switched on. pic.twitter.com/iCBfnfMvP1

— Craig Wilson (@mediahunter) June 15, 2022

Growing Energy Demands

As it's located in the southern hemisphere, Australia is experiencing extreme winters this year, increasing the demand for electricity for heaters in every household. New South Wales houses around nine million people, with the state being the most populous in the country, as cited in Down To Earth.

New South Wales Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean stated, "A number of the generators that we rely on to produce our electricity haven't come online in the way we expect them to," as reported by Wion News.

The authorities claimed that the reason for cutting down power in the evening is because the contribution from solar and wind power farms is less.

Factors For Power Outages

Most of Australia's power is generated from coal, approximately 65 per cent, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). It is one of the world's largest coal suppliers and exporters.

Australia is experiencing an energy crisis not just due to increased consumer demands. Constant floods had hit various coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland before winters, and they were already old and ageing power plants. Also, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and sanctions on Russian supplies led to inflation of power prices.

The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has remarked that the energy crisis will be on the agenda for the next state leaders' meeting.

Also Read: Agnipath Scheme: Govt Raises Entry Age Limit As 'One-Time Waiver' Amid Violent Protests