9.50 pm
At approximately 3.35pm on Friday 3 March 2017, an incident took place at ElectraNet’s switchyard, immediately adjacent to Torrens Island Power Station B. No injuries were sustained as a result of the incident, and efforts were undertaken immediately to make the site safe.
Torrens Island Power Station B was impacted, causing three of its four generating units to trip, which resulted in approximately 400 MW of generation being disconnected. At the same time, 220 MW of generation from Pelican Point Power Station also tripped off.
This loss in supply was immediately compensated through additional import of power from Victoria via the Heywood interconnector.
The connection points of two generating units were damaged in the incident, resulting in a system disturbance.
“We have commenced restoration activities to ensure the safe replacement and re-instatement to service of the damaged infrastructure,” said Steve Masters, Chief Executive of ElectraNet.
“At this stage, the network is secure. Of the two affected connection points, one is expected to be back in service within 24 hours, reconnecting 200 MW of generation capacity to the network. However, the second connection point, which connects another 200 MW of generation capacity, is estimated to take around two weeks to replace.
We are working closely with all impacted stakeholders on restoration and investigation efforts,” Steve said.
To support the secure operation of South Australia, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) directed available additional generation to turn on as a precautionary measure to help avoid potential load-shedding. AEMO has also has postponed planned maintenance work scheduled for the weekend on the Victorian transmission network, specifically the Moorabool-to-Mortlake transmission line.
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ElectraNet provides energy and infrastructure solutions across Australia. We own and operate over $2.5 billion of electricity transmission assets that transport electricity over long distances and to remote areas. A critical part of the electricity supply chain, ElectraNet’s transmission network delivers safe and reliable electricity supply. Our transmission costs make-up less than 10% of end-user electricity prices.