Wellington, Aug 6 (IANS) New Zealand’s electricity demand reached a record high for the second consecutive day on Thursday as freezing temperatures across the country drove up power use, national grid operator Transpower said.
Average electricity demand peaked at 7,415 megawatts (MW) on Thursday morning, surpassing the previous record of 7,247 MW set a day earlier by 168 MW, roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand’s fourth-most populous city.
Transpower Chief Executive James Kilty said in a statement that very cold temperatures across the country, particularly in the upper North Island, combined with low wind conditions, had placed the electricity system under significant pressure, reports Xinhua news agency.
“We are keeping a close eye on the cold temperatures tonight and particularly tomorrow morning when we are expecting similar levels of electricity demand,” Kilty said.
The record demand came as a cold snap gripped New Zealand, with Auckland recording its coldest day in five years on Thursday. The freezing conditions have disrupted travel in parts of the country, causing traffic problems in Dunedin in the South Island and bringing rare snow flurries to the capital Wellington.
The cold weather has also intensified concerns over the cost of keeping homes warm. Consumer NZ said power bills have overtaken housing costs as New Zealanders’ second-biggest financial concern after food and groceries.
Citing its newly released report, the consumer advocacy group said in a statement that household power costs have risen by about 177 per cent since 1999, nearly twice the rate of inflation, with almost one in five people cutting spending on food and other essentials to pay power bills.
“More than half of New Zealanders say energy issues will influence their vote” in the upcoming election in early November, Jon Duffy, Consumer NZ chief executive, was quoted as saying.
–IANS
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