Torrens Island to linger
AGL is holding off on plans to mothball the gas-fired Torrens Island Power Station ahead of summer.
AGL is preparing to mothball parts of the 52-year-old gas-fired Torrens Island station when it opens the new Barker Inlet Power Station next door.
But an ongoing outage at the coal-fired Loy Yang A Power Station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley has prompted a rethink.
“We will use our generation portfolio in the adjacent regions of South Australia and New South Wales to support Victorian electricity requirements over the interconnectors,” an AGL spokesperson has told reporters.
“This includes Bayswater and Liddell [in New South Wales], and Torrens Island.
“We are also expediting work on the gas-fired and hydro fleet to shore up their reliability and increase capacity ahead of summer.”
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says the outage at Loy Yang A, caused by an electrical short, is having no impact on supply.
“AEMO runs supply adequacy projections weekly, and we are in the process of running a range of different scenarios, including delayed return to service and unseasonably hot weather in late November and December,” a spokesperson said.
“We are working closely with all market participants to look at a range of options to deliver the necessary resources to meet the system demands over summer.”
Repairing the unit at Loy Yang A is expected to cost the company $57 million, and should be complete in December.