Antinuclear

Tasmania’s electricity fully supplied by renewable energy

Prior to July, hydro was already producing the majority of the state’s electricity at about 11TWh, followed by gas and wind, both around 1TWh. However, the state’s major gas fired generator – the Tamar Valley Power Station – was shut down for an indefinite period in July. Hydro output is now at its highest ever annual level and wind is growing, while gas output has fallen essentially to zero.

Dr Hugh Saddler, principal consultant, energy strategies at pitt&sherry said: “There are striking changes in Tasmanian generation. Prior to the commissioning of BassLink in 2005, hydro output was constrained to the level of demand within the state. While energy regularly flows in both directions across BassLink, the net flow is now strongly from Tasmania to Victoria.”

In addition, there is evidence the impact of higher wholesale gas prices, triggered by the linkage of eastern Australia gas markets to international prices through the LNG export projects in Queensland, is beginning to be felt in the national electricity market. The decline in gas fired generation appears to be accelerating throughout Australia, Saddler added, and is particularly marked in South Australia and Tasmania.

As has been the case for some months, all growth in the national energy market generation came from hydro, wind and other renewables; their combined share of total energy send out generation was over 17% in October, and for the year to October was approaching 14%.

The report is a monthly benchmark for Australia’s carbon emissions from the energy sectors based on electricity, petroleum and natural gas data.   The report is available here.

November 24, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, Tasmania