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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Peter Hannam

‘Toss of coin’ for Australian grid to get through summer without major outage, expert warns

A high voltage electricity transmission tower is seen in the foreground of the Brisbane CBD skyline at sunset
Blackouts, or load-shedding, were avoided during this week’s heatwave in Sydney. ‘It could have gone either way,’ says energy specialist Dylan McConnell. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

It was telling Australia’s energy market operator delayed its “summer readiness” media statement last week because its managers were busy ensuring the New South Wales grid got through spring without mass blackouts.

Politicians had left it until noon on Wednesday to plead with people to throttle their air-conditioners to 26C and delay washing clothes or dishes for five hours, to “help maintain a reliable [power] supply for NSW consumers”.

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