Snowy gas-fired power station ordered as crisis escalates
When gas levels in storage drop too low, pressures may drop below the optimal range, air bubbles may form and customers may not receive their gas in a steady stream or at the right pressure for their plant and equipment. AEMO had to intervene to order two gas-fired power plants to limit operations which it said was “in line with previous communications issued for Iona storage depletion threats to system security events”. Snowy Hydro declined to comment. AEMO said the directive would remain in effect until the threat to the security of the system expires or market participants indicate that it can be a source of gas to meet electricity demand, potentially through October 1. A spokesman for AGL Energy, which operates gas-fired power plants in Victoria and South Australia, said it was monitoring the situation closely. “We note that AEMO has not imposed any withdrawal restrictions from Iona’s storage facilities,” he said. “We believe that there is unlikely to be a significant impact on our