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Hot days could hit Victoria with summer blackouts: AEMO

The mercury soars, airconditioners are turned on -- and victoria goes dark, AEMO has warned.

The mercury soars, airconditioners are turned on -- and victoria goes dark, AEMO has warned. Photo: ABC

Extreme summer temperatures are expected to leave Victoria at a heightened risk of power failures, the Australian Energy Market Operator says.

It predicts a one-in-three chance of load shedding under extreme conditions this summer unless additional action is taken.

“The heightened risk and uncertainties … highlight the need to secure additional resources for this summer to ensure the reliability standard is not exceeded,” AEMO’s report released on Friday says.

“Specifically, temperatures of 40C or more in Victoria could be the catalyst for extreme, one-in-10-year electricity demand conditions.

“Particularly when these temperatures are experienced towards the end of the day when business demand is still relatively high, residential demand is increasing, and rooftop PV’s contribution is declining.”

An AEMO spokesperson told AAP action had already been taken to prepare the power system for “extreme” summer peak demand.

“We are confident that with together with industry we can manage the needs of the power system this summer,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Victoria was better placed than last year to deal with a forecast “long, hot, dry” summer.

“Just as last year we put in place a whole lot of contingencies, we are well advanced in our planning to do exactly the same this year,” he told reporters.

But the opposition energy spokesman David Southwick said a one-in-three chance of blackouts was “completely unacceptable” and again took aim at Labor over Engie’s closure of the Hazelwood coal-fired power station in 2017.

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