Australia: Electricity rationing, rolling blackouts, and power generating problems

There seems to be an effort by the press to attribute the problems to an industrial dispute. However, at the bottom of the report you'll find this:

"I don't think anyone could have foreseen that, in addition to an industrial dispute affecting part of the power supply to the Victorian grid, that you would also have three generators that ... would go down at the very time Victoria reached something like 39 to 40deg.," he said.

CHEAT SQUAD

By DAMON JOHNSTON and RICK WALLACE 05feb00

A PRIVATE force of power police will raid the homes of suspected electricity cheats as Victoria's energy rationing drags into next week.

The 150-strong squad drafted from five privately owned electricity firms is armed with unprecedented powers as the Bracks Government battles the crisis.

Inspectors will have the authority to enter houses and issue warnings. Further breaches will see homes disconnected and fines up to $10,000 imposed.

Premier Steve Bracks called up the squad after peace talks failed to win a quick resolution yesterday and energy cuts were ordered for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The statewide restrictions  which will not be enforced over the weekend  were imposed yesterday from 1pm to 7pm to avert blackouts despite the 40deg. heat.

Air-conditioners, dishwashers, video recorders, computers and other home appliances were banned, while businesses were pitched into semi-darkness with reduced lighting.

Schools, kindergartens, childcare centres, hospitals, the elderly and seriously ill people still in their homes will be spared.

The six-hour ban yesterday hit hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses and came as the Premier got tough with unions and Yallourn Energy.

He set a midnight Sunday deadline to resolve the dispute and threatened to activate crisis laws that could see defiant workers fined $10,000 and the firm $1 million.

"It is not a gun (to their heads)," Mr Bracks said. "How long has this dispute been going on?

Forget about the parties involved, the fact is, we have a dispute that has affected power supplies in Victoria.

"That is unacceptable. It has been going on for too long ... the time is now for settling it."

As officials from six power unions and Yallourn Energy were locked in marathon talks yesterday, another day of drama unfolded across Victoria.

Sweltering crowds flocked to public swimming pools and snapped up electricity generators and fans in a bid to keep cool during next week when temperatures will reach 39deg.

Farmers are among the biggest losers from two days of blackouts and restrictions with crops damaged by irrigation failures.

Health authorities urged employers to consider sending staff home next week rather than suffer in steaming offices.

Yallourn Energy and unions will reconvene talks with government mediator Neil Pope today in an attempt to meet Sunday's deadline. Yallourn chief executive Mike Johnston last night was optimistic, but the company was not willing to budge from demands for non-unionised contractors.

"Unions must accept management's right to manage," he said.

Mr Pope said the talks ended with clear division between the parties on contractors.

"Progress has been slow," he said. "I never believed this matter was going to be resolved and we will reconvene (today) and I hope to make some progress then."

Electrical Trades Union chief Dean Mighell said the unions' compromises on contractors had been thrown back in their faces.

"This is the most arrogant company and the most bloody-minded company I have ever dealt with," he said.

"Until this company shows some preparedness to negotiate, this is going nowhere. I think the company is being deliberately intransigent."

Even in the event of a breakthrough, Victoria is unlikely to be spared discomfort between 1pm and 7pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr Bracks confirmed the government has been told it could take more than three days to restore full generation to the La Trobe Valley complex.

A broken generator at Hazelwood is also still being repaired, further crippling the system.

Mr Bracks said rationing was needed to avoid devastating blackouts, which threw Victoria into turmoil on Thursday.

"What we will be doing is providing certainty and minimal disruption around the state as we reach something like 39 to 40deg. and also next week there are high temperatures forecast," he said.

By 3.30pm yesterday Victoria's electricity usage had fallen to 6400mW  well under peak demand  after the bans were imposed.

Mr Bracks defended his government's hands-off approach to the dispute, which has been simmering since he took office.

"I don't think anyone could have foreseen that, in addition to an industrial dispute affecting part of the power supply to the Victorian grid, that you would also have three generators that ... would go down at the very time Victoria reached something like 39 to 40deg.," he said.

Link:

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,2294,287560%255E1243,00.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 04, 2000

Answers

Could someone from OZ please describe Victoria- I.E. size, economics ETC. Also, any eye witness accounts?

MrsPeal

-- MrsPeal (...@...com), February 04, 2000.

Carl and MrsPeal,

Victoria is a southern Australian state with Melbourne as its capital city and with 3.5 million population approx. Years ago, during the 1980s, some wag said that the capital of Victoria was $1.32 due to its lack of ready money and the running up staggering debt.

Finally, with the return of tough rationalist Liberal Party management and the sale of power utilies, Victoria turned around from a moribund no-hope state to a vibrant go-get-'em affair. Debt was retired and the people were tired of tough rationists, so they brought back a 'new look' Labor government who appeal as caring.

Unfortunately for Victoria reports coming out are less than flattering. My brothers were in Portland to put a roof on a new house and the power went. No warning. They never got the job done and are out of pocket big time. Yesterday was also a power loss day for Portland as reported by my mate with a daily delivery run to there.

Victorians holidaying here in South Australia bring with them tales of discontent and I know of businesses planning to get out. The GST introduction doesn't aid affairs either.

The power troubles stem from new Federal Government enterprise agreements and massive changes to the workplace agreements leading to tough negotiation conditions and mandatory lock- outs. The maintenance workers at Yallourn, all 60 souls, got themselves in that situation so they stayed out since 10 January last. This made the others look a bit more closely as well and roll along some discontent in sympathy, stressing out generation units that already were stressing out anyway. All it needed was a heatwave and over she'd go.

Victoria is invoking Level 1 restrictions. This is third world speak for bringing out the compliance officers who'll have draconian powers. You may be assured there are sicko's who'll actually do this job. They'll do it very unsuccessfully too, as shown in a previous natural gas outage crisis invoking a similar Level 1 emergency.

The British owned power generation industry of Victoria wants to contract individually negotiated labour. The unions say this isn't on. The Federals are toothless because they are economic rationalists who believe in fairies at the bottom of the level playing field. They are on the nose nationally, with the opposition equally unacceptable.

During this heatwave this land is stressing out. We have so many good people and wonderful industries, but a difficulty getting used to those changes that impact so dramatically on our daily lifes. One of those changes is that no guarantee of power is possible because profits are going off- shore now, rather than investing in infrastructure and maintenance of facilities. Shareholders are ever hungry and we don't own it anymore.

And ultimately the government is responsible, a hapless bunch in good times, a freaking lunatic parade now. The people cop it as usual.

Oh yes. I can say that there are reports, denied naturally, of computer problems. We'll probably never know the truth.

Sweltering Down Under

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), February 04, 2000.

Thanks for the info Pieter!!!

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 04, 2000.

This story is absolutely amazing. It is the year 2000 and you would think we would have conquered this type of probability. If we had rolling blackouts in Arizona during the summer, we'd have senior citizens dropping like flies (even though so many are snowbirds there are still plenty that stay year round). The crime rate would soar and lots of other unsavory events as well.

Good luck, Australia, I know you don't deserve this.

Thanks for the story Carl!

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), February 04, 2000.

Another story from Australian Newspaper

-- Pieter (zaads@icisp.net.au), February 04, 2000.