One of the side-effects of Wednesday’s blackouts in South Australia is that, even though there is plenty of wind, wind generation has been cut by 85%. On Wednesday, prior to the collapse of the mid-north transmission towers that precipitated the blackout, almost all 18 wind fams in South Australia were generating, producing close to 1,200 MW. The collapse of transmission lines in the mid-north where most of the wind farms are located means that the bulk of wind generation is no longer connected to the grid. Since Wednesday’s blackout there have only been six wind farms supplying the grid, as of early Friday afternoon supplying only 154 MW. Most of the state’s generation is being supplied by gas, with the Moomba Adelaide Pipeline operating at 94% capacity and the SEAGas Pipeline at 86% capacity, supplying sufficient gas to generate 549 MW, plus meet the needs of other gas customers..
South Australian wind: all fired up but nowhere to go
South Australian wind: all fired up but nowhere to go