‘Very serious’: gas supplies in southern states under pressure, analysts warn

Gas production at Victoria’s Longford plant, which processes gas piped from the Bass Strait, has dropped because of unscheduled maintenance. Photograph: Horizon International Images/Alamy

Gas supplies in southern states are likely to remain strained the rest of this winter, and the problems will worsen without the urgent addition of more backup resources, analysts including the market operator say.

Those states, particularly Victoria, have drawn down their gas storage as cold weather increased demand. Gas-fired power generation has also been double that expected on some days amid unusually calm periods, and gas production at Victoria’s Longford plant has dropped because of unscheduled maintenance.