Ben Fordham has blasted the NSW energy minister after hospitals and residents were told to limit their electricity use.
NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean urged residents to reduce their electricity usage from 5.30pm to 8pm on Wednesday night, and Sydney hospital staff were ordered to conserve power in all non-clinical settings.
‘If there is an opportunity for people to reduce their energy usage, so perhaps not using the dishwasher until you go to bed, that would help,’ he said.
‘What we’re doing is focused on making sure that we get through tonight and the next couple of days.’
During a heated interview with the 2GB host on Thursday about Australia’s worsening energy crisis, Mr Kean said there was a range of factors at hand.
The NSW energy minister has been blasted as Australia faces a major energy crisis, with demand increasing in the cold weather
He said the war in Ukraine forcing prices of commodities to skyrocket, the recent cold snap increasing demand, and the power stations being ‘unreliable’ old bits of equipment were all to blame.
He was then questioned by Fordham if he should take responsibility for the crisis, having been the energy minister since 2019.
‘I take responsibility for putting in a plan to make sure we don’t have these events in the future,’ he said, adding the electricity system needed to be modernised to ‘keep the lights on’.
Fordham then cut in and asked the minister: ‘If you’re such a genius, why are we in this mess?’.
Mr Kean pointed the finger at the huge increases in the costs to generate electricity which was a reflection of the war in Ukraine.
The war-of-words continued with Fordham asking the minister to again take responsibility.
‘I didn’t invade Ukraine, I didn’t make the generators old bits of equipment and I certainly didn’t make the weather cold so I’ll take responsibility for making sure we’re doing everything possible to keep the lights on,’ he said.
The pair earlier argued over coal plants, with Fordham saying Mr Kean was ‘demonising’ them and refusing to update the existing ones.
NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean was blasted by Ben Fordham who asked him ‘if you’re such a genius, why are we in this mess?’
The energy minister denied the claims and said he was focused on keeping the lights on and prices down.
The tense exchange comes after the national electricity market was suspended on Wednesday, as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said it had become impossible to operate within the rules.
AEMO said in a note it had suspended the electricity spot market in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria until further notice.
It is the first suspension since the national energy market began in 1998, and gives the operator control of direction of supplies from generators to the grid along the east coast and will set power prices for all states.
‘We’re working very closely with the Australian Energy Market Operator to make sure that the system remains reliable,’ Mr Kean told reporters.
Mr Kean said he was not aware of why the coal-fired plants had not come online, adding the situation was evolving.
‘These are ageing bits of equipment, they are obviously less and less reliable.
‘What we need to see is those plants caught online as soon as possible.’
The national electricity market was suspended on Wednesday, as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said it had become impossible to operate within the rules.
Mr Kean said the Vivid light show would continue throughout the Sydney CBD, Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, but he said the government was looking at options to reduce energy consumption.
Anthony Albanese and energy minister Chris Bowen will hold an emergency meeting with industry and union leaders on Thursday to discuss the growing crisis, which has been likened to the situation in ‘third world countries’.
The potential for mass blackouts has increased with about 1800MW of coal-fired power not operating in Queensland and 1200MW of capacity offline in the states of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
The Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW, the country’s biggest electricity user, was also forced to cut production to reduce the chance of a blackout.
The AEMO suspended the spot market in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria for the first time ever at 2.05pm on Wednesday.
It blamed the crisis on planned and unexpected coal power station outages, scheduled transmission outages, the early onset of winter and periods of low wind and solar output.
The National Electricity Market has been suspended and hospitals were ordered to reduce electricity use. Pictured is the Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW, which was forced to cut production to reduce the chance of a blackout
Sydney hospitals were ordered to reduce their electricity use and millions of households across NSW were urged not to use their dishwashers.
Staff in the Sydney Local Health District were sent an urgent email on Wednesday asking that electricity be conserved in all non-clinical settings.
Employees were told to bring air conditioning units down to 20C and close blinds windows to ‘keep cool inside’, the Daily Telegraph reported.
‘Please activate the above measures immediately and we will advise you when these measures can be deactivated. It is likely this protocols will stay in place until 23.59 on Friday 17 June,’ the email said.
Staff were also asked to turn off electrical equipment not being used and to stop using printers as residents across NSW were earlier issued a similar warning.
A NSW Health spokesperson said NSW Health was taking steps to conserve and reduce electricity use where possible in its non-clinical settings but there would be no impact to patient care.