Heatwave draining Vic power, water

Victoria is on the brink of a power meltdown with the blistering heatwave draining electricity supplies.

Interstate power is keeping the network alive, but hundreds of thousands of homes
were cut off when the Basslink pipe from Tasmania went down at 3.05pm (AEDT) on
Thursday.
Authorities say they "think" the state will get through the 44 degree scorcher but
have not ruled out household restrictions to conserve power.
Arrangements have been made to tap into industry reserves to keep homes powered if
demand outstrips supply.
Victoria smashed the power usage record on Wednesday, guzzling through 10,300
megawatts.
The state is on track to top 10,500 megawatts on Thursday as people crank up their
air-conditioners to keep cool as temperatures topped 45.8 degrees at Avalon, 60km
southwest of Melbourne.
Localised power meltdowns cut electricity to 100,000 homes overnight and by midday
on Thursday 18,000 were still waiting to be reconnected.
About 3pm (AEDT) Basslink tripped, wiping 730 megawatts from the grid and forcing
the national power manager to direct distributors to cut electricity to homes for
more than an hour.
National Electricity Market Management Company (NEMMCO) spokesman Paul Bird could
not say exactly how many homes were affected.
"We instructed the transmission companies in Victoria to reduce the load because of
that unusual event," he said.
Full power was restored at 4.15pm on Thursday.
Earlier, Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor said electricity supply was
"very tight" but there was "just sufficient power" to get by.
He said restrictions on homes were a last resort.
"Subject to no major plant failures and other catastrophic interruptions, we think
we'll get through today, the tightest of all days," Mr Batchelor said.
"And acknowledging that we have also the buffer of industrial load shedding, and if
we make steps to use that if it's needed, then it should prevent restrictions being
placed on residential use."
The government has arrangements with Victoria's biggest power user, the Alcoa
aluminium smelter in Portland, to tap into its reserves in an emergency.
Across Victoria, indoors or in the water were the best places to be.
The roof remained closed on centre court as Australian Open chiefs again invoked the
extreme heat rule.
At Sandown Racecourse, Friday's fixture became the third meeting in two days to be
cancelled due to the searing heat.
Melbourne paramedics responded to 75 cases of heat stress, while metropolitan
firefighters received hundreds of calls and were battling three blazes in the east
and west of the state.
Commuters endured another day of cancellations and will travel free on trains, trams
and buses on Friday as the government scrambles to quell passenger outrage.
Train operator Connex had cancelled more than 200 trains during peak hour and more
were expected.
Friday will bring no relief - the mercury is again expected to hit 43 degrees in
Melbourne and temperatures will remain in the 30s until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Melbourne's water storages dropped 1.6 billion litres in 24 hours as
people turned on their taps as the city sweltered.
According to figures from Melbourne Water, the city's nine reservoirs dropped by 1.6
billion litres between 8am (AEST) on Wednesday and 8am on Thursday compared to an
average 24 hour use of 800 million litres.
Storm Sustainability, a Melbourne-based water and energy consultancy, urged people
to conserve water.
"It's so tempting on these hot days to use water on the garden but if possible use
only grey water, or tank water," chief executive Stephen Webster said.
"If you use water out of the tap, make sure it is only during your allotted watering
times."