Millions of Australians have been warned that more power outages are likely as an ongoing heatwave pushes electricity demand to the highest level since June.
NSW’s limited power supply will be put to the test from Wednesday afternoon as residents escape the sweltering heat by turning up the air conditioning a day into summer.
The intensifying heatwave is expected to see temperatures in Sydney’s densely populated western suburbs rise to as high as 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sweltering conditions have emerged during planned maintenance at three of the state’s four coal-fired power plants, which remain the state’s main source of energy.
The strained power supply is expected to be ‘at risk’ on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.
An urgent warning has been issued for those who rely on electricity for medical equipment to have a backup plan in case of an outage.
It comes after several parts of Sydney, including the CBD, lost power on Tuesday afternoon.
The outages caused widespread damage to thousands of Australians, including a TikTok star who bought snacks from CBD Woolworths.
NSW’s limited power supply combined with increased demand from air conditioners could lead to widespread power outages. The photo shows beachgoers at Bondi at the weekend
A heatwave will reach 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Sydney on Wednesday and Thursday
Influencer Chichiireanus posted a video of herself and other shoppers evacuating Pitt St. Woolworths, as the usually brightly lit supermarket was plunged into darkness and an alarm sounded.
“What the hell?” she can be heard in the video.
Energy distributor Ausgrid confirmed that more than 300 customers lost power along Sussex Street, King Street and parts of Pitt Street just after 3pm.
“Ausgrid emergency services worked throughout the afternoon to restore power to the CBD,” an Ausgrid spokeswoman said.
“Power was restored to all customers by 7 p.m.
‘The cause of the disruption is a suspected fault in the underground cable and was not heat-related.’
Chichiireanus, who has almost 13,000 followers on the popular social media channel, captioned her video with: “All I wanted was my salad and my funday sweets.”
“Of course a blackout happens as soon as I go shopping for my lunch,” she wrote.
Shoppers evacuated the Woolworths on Pitt St during a power outage in Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday
Electricity demand is expected to increase by at least five percent on Wednesday, the highest level since June.
While NSW was previously able to cope with sudden surges in demand, the closure of three major coal-fired power stations in the past 12 years – at Munmorah, Wallerawang and Liddell – weakened supply.
The NSW government will decide on Wednesday morning whether to instruct staff in public buildings, including museums, to reduce power consumption.
AEMO claimed that ‘continued heatwave conditions coupled with significant power outages’ could cause more power outages over the next 48 hours.
“AEMO is actively managing the situation and has issued updated notices on the lack of reserves, urging industry participants to respond to expected demand needs in the coming days,” the report said.
“Additional measures may be necessary if supply forecasts deteriorate due to unexpected generation or transmission disruptions, or if demand rises above current expectations.
“AEMO has not currently asked residents or businesses in NSW to use less energy during this heatwave.”
The increasing heatwave is expected to bring significant temperatures to Sydney’s densely populated western suburbs on Wednesday and Thursday
Sydney
Wednesday: Mostly sunny day. Small chance of showers in the evening. Light wind, moderate to northwest to 20 to 30 km/h in the morning, then trending north to northwest to 15 to 20 km/h in the evening. Min. 21. Max. 34.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. The chance of thunder. Light wind. Min. 22. Max. 30.
Friday: Cloudy. High chance of rain, probably in the afternoon and evening. The chance of thunder. Light winds, easterly at 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon, then light in the evening. Min. 21. Max. 26.
Melbourne
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe. Wind north to northeast 25 to 35 km/h, trending north to northwest in the morning then light in the late evening. Min. 20. Max. 28.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. There is a chance of a thunderstorm over the nearby hills in the morning and afternoon. Light winds, southeast to southwest at first, 15 to 25 km/h in the early afternoon, then light in the late evening. Min. 16. Max. 26.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. The chance of thunder. During the afternoon the wind will become weak from the southeast, 15 to 25 km/hour. Min. 17. Max. 29.
Brisbane
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Moderate chance of showers, probably in the morning and afternoon. Light winds, initially northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h, mid-day, then light in the late evening. Min. 21. Max. 29.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light winds, first northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon, then light in the evening. Min. 22. Max. 30.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light winds, moderate to 15 to 20 km/h during the day, then light in the evening. Min. 23. Max. 29.
The NSW government will consider on Wednesday morning whether to instruct staff in public buildings, including museums, to reduce their energy consumption
Perth
Wednesday: Sunny. Wind east to southeast 25 to 35 km/h, becoming light in the evening, becoming easterly 20 to 30 km/h in the late evening. Min. 13. Max. 29.
Thursday: Sunny. Winds from the east 25 to 40 km/h, becoming light in the evening, becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late evening. Min. 17. Max. 33.
Friday: Mostly sunny day. There is a chance of a thunderstorm in the northeast in the afternoon and evening. The wind will be easterly at 20 to 30 km/h, turning northeasterly in the morning and turning southwesterly to 15 to 20 km/h in the afternoon. Min. 21. Max. 37.
Adelaide
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, probably in the early morning. Wind west to northwest 25 to 35 km/h, becoming northwest 35 to 45 km/h in the morning, then turning west to southwest 25 to 35 km/h in the afternoon and evening. Min. 15. Max. 23.
Thursday: Cloudy. Moderate chance of showers, probably in the morning and early afternoon. Wind southwest 20 to 30 km/h, turning southwest 15 to 20 km/h in the evening. Min. 14. Max. 22.
Friday: Small chance of showers, probably in the morning. Mostly sunny afternoon. Light wind, 15 to 25 km/h from the southwest during the day, turning southwest to 15 to 20 km/h in the evening. Min. 13. Max. 24.
Hobart
Wednesday: Cloudy. Chance of morning fog. Very high chance of showers, probably in the afternoon and evening. The chance of thunder. Light winds will become southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon and tend to become southerly 15 to 25 km/h in the late evening. Min. 15. Max. 23.
Thursday: Cloudy. High chance of showers, probably in the morning. Wind southerly 20 to 30 km/h, turning east to southeast 15 to 20 km/h during the day. Min. 13. Max. 17.
Friday: Cloudy. Small chance of showers. Wind from the east 15 to 25 km/h, weak in the evening. Min. 12. Max. 19.
Canberra
Wednesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of rain, probably in the afternoon and evening. The chance of thunder. Light winds, northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h in the morning, then light in the late evening. Min. 17. Max. 29.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. The chance of thunder. Light wind, afternoon westerly 15 to 20 km/h during the day, then light in the evening. Min. 15. Max. 31.
Friday: Cloudy. Very high chance of rain, probably in the afternoon and evening. The chance of thunder. In the evening light winds from the east, 15 to 20 km/hour. Min. 16. Max. 25.
Electricity demand is expected to increase by five percent on Wednesday, the highest since June, due to high temperatures (photo, forecast for Wednesday afternoon)
Darwin
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, probably in the late morning and afternoon. The chance of thunder. Light wind. Min. 25. Max. 32.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, probably in the late morning and afternoon. The chance of thunder. Light wind. Min. 26. Max. 33.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers, probably in the afternoon. The chance of thunder. Light wind. Min. 26. Max. 33.