Summary
Security of Supply
National hydro storage increased by six percentage points this week to 127% of average for the time of year (82% of full).
North Island storage stayed about the same at 130% of the historical average, where inflows continued to be below the historical average for this time of year and hydrology remained high. South Island storage, however, increased by seven percentage points to 127% of the historical average. This was caused by high rainfall in the South Island, which resulted in the largest inflow event since early September.
Weekly Demand
Continuing the seasonal trend, national weekly decreased 18 GWh (two percent) on the previous week to 725 GWh.
This week's national demand peak was 5,175 MW and occurred at 8.00am on Friday 19 November.
Generation Mix
Total generation was 755 GWh this week, with 90.6% renewable energy. Wind generation remained high for the majority of the week, comprising 9.2% of the mix and peaking at 716 MW at 5.30am on Tuesday 16 November. Hydro generation continued to dominate the generation mix, comprising 60.4% of total generation, which was a direct result of the above average hydro storage.
Weekly Prices
The average price at Haywards was $61/MWh, down 40% from $103/MWh last week. Factoring into this will be lower demand, a strong hydro position and high levels of wind which provided 9.2% of the nation's electricity this week.
Prices at Haywards peaked at just $119/MWh at 8am on Thursday 18 November. This peak was during one of the two days this week when wind generation was very low.
When windy nights combined with low overnight demand, prices dropped to $0. This occurred on five separate occasions this week.
There was minimal price separation during the week.
HVDC
HVDC transfer has remained mostly Northward this week with three brief periods of Southward flow. Northward transfer is still dominating the system due to high hydro generation in the South Island. The brief periods of Southward transfer occurred during times of low demand and relatively high wind generation for the week.
Fact of the Week
More than 30% of Australian households have installed solar panels on their rooftops with a combined capacity exceeding 11 GW. (link)
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