As power outage fears grow in NSW, Labor’s renewable energy promises are under fire for putting the energy transition on Australians

Australians asked to reduce energy Usage during the hottest part of the day on Wednesday as solar generation failed to meet energy demand in NSW.

The scenario has raised further doubts about the Albanian government’s transition to renewable energy, as energy shortages begin before summer arrives.

Zoe Hilton, senior policy analyst at the Energy Program at the Center for Independent Studies, warned that our electricity supply was becoming “increasingly inadequate and unreliable”.

“As successive governments have neglected large-scale baseload generation in favor of intermittent wind and solar power, our electricity supply has become increasingly unaffordable and unreliable,” he told SkyNews.com.au.

NSW Premier Chris Minns warns of power outages across state on Wednesday due to increased energy demands during an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 40C.

It asked individual households to “consider not using energy-intensive devices” such as air conditioners and televisions during the hottest part of the day.

“So if you can’t run your pool filter, if you can’t run your dishwasher, if you can’t run your washing machine between 3pm and 8pm this afternoon, you’re helping the grid,” Mr Minns said on Wednesday.

Ms Hilton explained that to sustain a modern, industrialized economy like Australia’s, electricity must be both affordable and reliable.

“The grid should serve consumers, not the other way around,” he said.

“Minns government asking consumers to rearrange their schedules to support the grid and be overwhelmed by high temperatures is an inevitable consequence of the government’s attempt to build a renewable energy-heavy grid.

“Our energy grid has traditionally relied on dispatchable coal and gas generators, which can reliably provide adequate supply during times of peak demand, such as a heat wave.

“But now our grid increasingly relies on wind and solar generation that cannot be turned on when we need it.”

His comments come as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) seeks to prevent power outages and calls for factories to be closed to reduce energy demands.

AEMO was forced to issue a “reserve shortage” notice on Wednesday due to inadequate power supply, made worse by faults at several coal-fired plants.

At the same time, the NSW Premier oddly urged residents to completely cut out the use of critical appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines.

“We have been informed by AEMO that there are not sufficient reserves in terms of production for the next day,” Mr Minns told reporters.

“This is because solar production in the energy market starts to decrease from 3 p.m., exactly the time when people return home from work.”

As solar energy production decreases in the afternoon, demand increases as people turn on air conditioners and other devices to cope with the heat.

This has sparked debate over the future of Australia’s energy policy, with National Leader David Littleproud telling SkyNews.com.au Labor’s “all-renewable energy approach” does not match “practical reality”.

“It doesn’t work, it costs more, and we’re now seeing that it’s also dangerous. “A first world country like Australia should and should have energy during a heatwave,” he said.

“Labor needs to change energy policy settings rather than burden the public during a heatwave.

“The Albanian government has put all its eggs in one basket by recklessly betting on a renewable energy-only policy that puts our energy stability at risk.”

Fellow Nationals Senator Matt Canavan also said on Wednesday: “If we weren’t obsessed with net zero emissions, we wouldn’t have to face this level of embarrassment for our nation.”

Sky News Political Writer Chris Uhlmann similarly warned that the country was “on the road to poverty”, with millions of people at risk of power outages and higher energy prices.

“What’s happening is we’re getting on a path to poverty… which means power outages,” Uhlmann said, expressing concern that energy shortages would disproportionately affect households and businesses.

“I think it’s an absolute national scandal and what’s happening is we’re drifting towards poverty and we’re starting to listen to some of the language that’s coming out of places like AEMO and the government,” he said.

“You’ll hear things like demand management. What does that mean? It means power outages. It means your equipment will be asked to shut down or it will eventually be shut down by the government, and the industry has asked for it to be shut down.”

Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien questioned the Labor government’s vision for Australia’s renewable energy future during Question Time in Parliament on Wednesday.

“The Australian Energy Market Operator is currently trying to prevent power outages by temporarily closing deals with factories… Is this what Labor’s ‘renewable energy superpower’ plan will really look like?” Mr O’Brien asked.

In response, Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen defended the government’s strategy and committed to further expanding renewable energy sources.

He said the current problems in New South Wales were due to the unexpected collapse of coal-fired power plants rather than the increasing share of renewable energy sources.

“We say we will continue to roll out renewables and batteries to support this transition,” Mr Bowen said.

“It would be disingenuous and dishonest to blame renewable energy sources when you have five units, four of which are coal and two of which are faulty.”

Labor’s Federal Environment Minister has approved the expansion of seven new coal mines or coal mine expansions in Australia in a bid to increase energy supply.

The NSW Labor government has also approved the expansion of three coal mines in the state to keep the lights on.

Ms. Hilton argued that the energy transition would be risky without sufficient sources of dispatchable power, such as new gas or coal plants.

“Aging coal plants will require more maintenance and there will be more unexpected outages,” he warned.

“Governments are playing a dangerous game by choosing not to build the new large-scale dispatchable generation that our grid desperately needs.”

“The coalition has a logical approach that includes both nuclear and gas,” the National Leader said.

“We need gas, especially in the short term, to avoid the situation we’re currently experiencing in New South Wales,” Mr Littleproud said.