Tuesday, 16 October: One LRC omission and one addition for Qld in MT PASA list for week to 16 October

NEMMCO made two changes in the list for low reserve condition (LRC) in the medium term projected assessment of system adequacy (MT PASA) issued at 1314EST on Tuesday, 16 October following one change the previous week.

Tuesday, 16 October: Tas goes negative with 10 trading intervals between minus $158.68/MWh and minus $999.68/MWh

Tasmania recorded negative prices of between minus $158.68/MWh and minus $999.68/MWh in 10 30-minute trading intervals on Tuesday, 16 October. From morning to early afternoon: The negative prices started in the 0900EST interval and continued though until the 1400EST interval, with only one positive price in this period.

Range of negative prices: There were two negative prices between minus $100 and minus $200, two between minus $300 and minus $400, one between minus $400 and minus $500, 1 between minus $600 and minus $700, 1 between minus $800 and minus $900 and three over minus $900 – two at minus $999.67/MWh and one at minus $999.68/MWh.

Average at minus $96.41/MWh: These 10 trading intervals forced Tasmania’s average price for the day down to minus $96.41/MWh.

Highest price of day, too: Tasmania also recorded the day’s highest price for the NEM regions of $69.96/MWh in the 0630EST interval.

Demand up: Maximum demand of 1392MW in the 1930EST interval was up 87MW (6.7 per cent) on Monday.

Reference: National Price for Tasmania for one day, Tuesday 16 October, in Price/Demand section of Erisk Net – Realtime NEM Data.
http://www.erisk.net

Erisk Net, 17/10/2007

Wednesday, 17 October: Tas in about turn: Spike to $8000.16/MWh in morning trading interval tipped after 10 negative price intervals on Tuesda

The NEMMCO predispatch at 6.53 a.m. on Wednesday, 17 October predicted a spike to $8000.16/MWh for the 30-minute trading interval ended 0900EST. Average price of $191.13/MWh expected: This large spike is expected to be enough to push Tasmania’s average price to $191.13/MWh following an average of minus $96.41/MWh on Tuesday when there were 10 negative price intervals with prices ranging from minus $158.68/MWh to $999.68/MWh.

Demand up: Tasmania’s maximum demand is predicted to continue rising, up 72MW (5.2 per cent) to 1464MW following an 87MW rise on Tuesday. Tasmania is the only NEM region expected to register an increase in maximum demand on Wednesday.

Reference: Pool Price for Tasmania in NEMMCO predispatch at 6.53 a.m. on Wednesday in User Defined section of Erisk Net – Realtime NEM Data.
http://www.erisk.net

Market report for week to Saturday, 13 October: Storms, blackouts; Five days of spikes push Qld average price up 134pc, with Vic and Tas rising 1-11pc, SA steady and NSW down 5pc to overall $32.67-$111.53/MWh range on firmer demand

Fed Govt ‘nonsensical’ migration policy ignores WA growth potential, favours SA instead, says WA Minister

It was astounding that skilled migrants who arrived on a skilled regional sponsored visa were allowed to live in metropolitan Adelaide under a regional classification, but migrants in Western Australia, under the same scheme, had to live in regional areas for three years – in other words, they could not live in Perth, said Margaret Quirk, Labor’s Minister for Corrective Services, in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (5/9/2007).

South Australia: Adelaide forecast, cool, damp, with heat spike ahead for Monday

Market report for Wednesday, 10 October: Storms, $10,000 prices, directions and $3407.42/MWh spike in Qld push average price up 35pc, with NSW, Vic, SA and Tas down 1-14pc to overall $31-43-$113.39/MWh range on lower demand

An eventful day in Queensland with continuing storms, $10,000 dispatch prices to be reviewed, directions to three participants over credible contingencies and a spike with a top price of $3407.42/MWh saw average price rise 35 per cent to $113.39/MWh. Average prices fell 1-14 per cent in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania to a range of $31.43-$35.73/MWh.

Adelaide powerlines in the city will go underground after Adelaide City Council approves $16 million plan

Adelaide powerlines in the city will go underground after Adelaide City Council on approved a $16 million plan, reported The Advertiser (26/9/2007, p.28).

Roaring 40s to reverse last year’s decision to suspend operations in Australia: investing $600m in wind farms in Tasmania and South Australia

Tasmanian-based Roaring 40s said it would reverse last year’s decision to suspend operations in Australia in favour of building wind farms in China — a move that had been prompted by a lack of regulatory support, wrote Adele Ferguson in The Australian (29/9/2007, p. 33).

Market report for Thursday, 4 October: Qld spike, Tas negative price on day when average prices up 2-4pc in SA, Qld and Tas, down 7-10pc in NSW and Vic to $32.85-$46.94/MWh range on lower demand

An afternoon spike in Queensland and a morning negative price in Tasmania featured in a day when average prices rose 2-4 per cent in South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania and fell 7-10 per cent in NSW and Victoria to a range of $32.85-$49.94/MWh.

Market forecast for Friday, 5 October: Average prices steady in SA and Tas, down 11-30pc in NSW, Vic and Qld to $32.69-$36.73/MWh range on lower demand

Average prices are expected to be steady in South Australia and Tasmania and drop 11-30 per cent in NSW, Victoria and Queensland to a range of $32.69-$36.73/MWh.

SA bushfire season to start one month early, 15 October in some areas

On 2 October, South Australian Emergency Services Minister, Cannel Zollo, and CFS chief officer Euan Ferguson announced the fire season would start on 15 October in some districts, reported The Advertiser (3/10/2007, p.3).

South Australia: number of days over 35C in the state will more than double in six decades

According to science reporter Clare Peddie, deadly heatwaves will become twice as common in South Austrtalia by 2070, according to a comprehensive climate report that predicts higher temperatures will threaten water supplies, infrastructure and lives, The Advertiser (3/10/2007, p.1)

Natural gas and renewable generation options, combined with demand side measures, to meet demand for electrical energy services at tenth to half greenhouse-intensity of a coal-fired power station using super-critical technology

In a submission to the Owen Inquiry into Electricity Supply in NSW, energy and environment consultant George Wilkenfeld said the rapid enhancement of demand side programs, the introduction of carbon pricing and strengthening the support for renewables and small-scale generation, along with increasing net imports from Victorian and Queensland, should delay the need for new baseload generation.

Market report for Friday, 28 September: Spikes push Qld average price up 4pc with Vic and SA rising 4-7pc, Tas steady and NSW down 1pc to $43.83-$59.72/MWh range on firmer demand

Spikes in Queensland pushed its average price up 4 per cent while Victoria and South Australia rose 4-7 per cent, Tasmania remained steady and NSW fell nearly 1 per cent to an overall range of $43.83-$59.72/MWh. System-wide maximum demand was up 186MW (0.7 per cent) to 26,156MW, with rises in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

Model planes go mainstream: add a video camera and find powerline breaks, survey wildlife, manage crops

Unmanned aircraft developed for military uses were being considered for civilian government applications, including pinpointing remote area powerline breaks, surveying fish and wildlife, monitoring stock movements, managing crops and fighting bushfires, wrote Christopher Jay in The Australian Financial Review (28/9/2007, p.71).

Market report for week to Saturday, 29 September: Spikes push Qld average price up 9pc, with NSW, Vic SA and Qld down 5-9pc to $40.61-$54.90/MWh range on weaker demand

Spikes on three days with top prices between $153.12/MWh and $1710.58/MWh pushed up Queensland’s average price by 9 per cent while the spike-free regions of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania fell 5-9 per cent to an overall range of $40.61-$54.90/MWh.

NEM Market forecast for Tuesday, 2 October:Average prices continue converging as they rise 6pc in SA, steady in NSW, fall 2-7pc in Vic, Qld and Tas to $33.02-$36.18/MWh range on demand surge

Market forecast for Tuesday, 2 October: Average prices are expected to continue converging to within $3.16 of each other ($4.20 on Monday) with rises of 6 per cent in South Australia, steady in NSW and falls of 2-7 per cent in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania to an overall range of $33.02-$36.18/MWh.

2007 NEM September quarter av pool down $9.86-$68.04/MWh (14-55pc) on inflated June quarter results

Average prices fell between $9.86-$68.04 (14 to 55 per cent) in the September quarter on the June quarter to a range of $53.35-$62.53/MWh, an analysis of price and demand statistics shows.

NEM September pool price up 4-35pc on August to $43.02-$51.10/MWh, analysis shows

Average prices rose 4-35 per cent in the first month of Spring compared to the last month of winter, an analysis of price and demand statistics shows.

Pulp mill planned for southeast SA will require 189MW/yr: more electricity than giant Olympic Dam mine, say Greens

A controversial pulp mill planned for South Australia’s southeast would require more electricity than the giant Olympic Dam mine, the Greens claimed, wrote Nick Henderson in The Advertiser (25/9/2007, p.11).

Adelaide’s Mt Lofty dam storage-capacity for only a year’s worth of water; SA Govt should stop dragging its heels on desal, says Turnbull

The Federal Government had set the example on water provision for the future, and the South Australian Government should get on with it, said Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, in Federal Parliament (12/9/2007).

South Australia’s lack of mandatory renewable energy targets; state “free-riding” on mandates in neighbouring jurisidictions

The 280-member Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) had poured scorn on Premier Mike Rann, accusing him of claiming credit for renewable energy investment in SA, despite other states and the Federal Government being responsible.

Desal emissions; 0.08kg to 5.2kg of CO2/m3: low, if the process was 100 percent driven by waste heat; if NSW coal, then 5.2kg of CO2 per m3

The analysis of emissions’ intensity of various desalination technologies showed that MSF distillation emissions could be as low as 1.98kg of CO2/m3 if the process was 100 percent driven by waste heat, according to the WWF’s Phil Dickie.

Market report for Saturday, 22 September: Average prices up 18-55pc to $42.49-$58.53/MWh range on steady overall demand: Spikes in NSW and Qld

 Average prices rose 18-55 per cent on the previous Sunday, the nearest comparable weekend day, to a range of $42.49-$58.53/MWh, with spikes pushing up NSW and Queensland averages. System-wide maximum demand was up 45MW (0.2 per cent) to 24,788MW, led by a 544MW rise in NSW and with Tasmania up 56MW.

Market report for week to Saturday, 22 September: Average prices up 8-13pc to $44.45-$54.01/MWh range on weaker demand: Small spikes in Qld and NSW

Average prices rose 8-13 per cent to a range of $44.45-$54.01/MWh with small spikes on three days in Queensland and one day in NSW.

16 September: Blackouts in South Australia

Powerlines were cut and trees uprooted as strong winds swept South Australia on 16 September, reported The Advertiser (17/9/2007).

SA Government to build a desalination plant

A report to be submitted by South Australia Government’s Desalination Working Group would form the basis of a submission seeking the federal funding for a proposed desalination plant to help serve Adelaide’s annual water needs, reported The Advertiser, (08/09/2007, p.1) quoting State Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald.

Households to shell out more: The project was estimated to cost more than $1 billion and would add between $300 and $600 a year to household water bills.

Raring to go: “The reason why we’ve got a working group working as hard as we have at the moment on all the details is to acutally go to the Commonwealth to seek money,” Maywald said. “We have to have a project that is fully developed, with answers to a whole range of questions.”

The Advertiser, 8/9/2007, p. 1

Tuesday, 18 September: 2 additions, 5 omissions to MT PASA following one addition and one omission the previous week

NEMMCO made two additions and five omissions in the list for low reserve condition (LRC) in the medium term projected assessment of system adequacy (MT PASA) issued at 14065EST on Tuesday, 18 September to that issued on Tuesday, 11 September, which had one addition and one omission.

Open interest contracts rise 224 (0.6pc)to 39,462 in week to 17 September, d-cypha Trade summary shows

Open interest contracts rose by 480 (1.2 per cent) to 39,942 in the week to Monday, 17 September following a rise of 224 (0.6 per cent) to 39,462 the previous week, according to figures supplied in a media release by the d-cypha Trade/Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE).