Cold Snap Sparks Record Power Use

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday May 31, 2000

The severe cold snap across Australia's eastern seaboard has put pressure on accommodation for the homeless, cut blood bank donations and led to record demands for electricity.

The cold sent NSW electric heating systems into overdrive, with the state recording an all-time electricity peak of 11,901 megawatts, according to national electricity grid operator, NEMCO.

Yesterday's figures for NSW were 163 megawatts higher than those for Monday, also a record, and substantially higher than those for last winter's peak.

Victoria is also breaking winter usage records, with 7112 megawatts of power consumed on Monday, and the figure only slightly lower for yesterday.

Even the sunshine state, Queensland, is breaking winter period electricity use records, with an unsurpassed cold season high of 6038 megawatts yesterday.

South Australia's demand was also high, only 26 megawatts short of its 2016 megawatt winter period record.

NEMCO spokesman Paul Price said the national electricity grid was coping well with the demand.

But while the grid is coping well, Victoria's welfare agencies are unable to meet demand for cold-weather crisis accommodation.

Melbourne's Citymission, which coordinates accommodation for homeless youth statewide, yesterday reported a 25 per cent jump in demand in the past week.

Meantime, NSW Health Minister Craig Knowles said blood donations had dropped by half this week and regional collections had been disrupted.

And in the state's Riverina district, 80 ambulance officers, fed up with freezing on the job, say they will wear their own warm gear in preference to their uniforms, NSW Health and Research Employees Association organiser Kerrie Seymour said.

© 2000 Illawarra Mercury

Back to News Index | Back to Home