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A heat wave warning is in place for most of the NSW coast, with temperatures in Sydney expected to reach 39 degrees today and 34 in the CBD.
Australia’s energy market operator earlier issued blackout warnings, saying energy reserves were limited as millions turned on air conditioners.
There were several power outages in Sydney yesterday, but Ausgrid said they were not believed to be heat-related.
Energy expert Tony Wood of the Grattan Institute said there were several factors that put Australia’s most populous state at risk of blackouts in November.
He said climate change meant Sydney was seeing weather conditions more typical of January or February in November, while the aging power grid required more and more maintenance.
Sydneysiders are flocking to beaches and waterways as the heatwave hits
“We haven’t gotten down to what needs to be done,” he told Today.
“What needs to be done to ensure that we have a transition to an energy system that has exactly all the characteristics that we all want and need, and we’re not there yet.”
He said Australia was unlikely to experience massive statewide power outages, but that those problems would continue until the transition was close to complete.
NSW can expect some relief from the heat later this week, with temperatures expected to drop slightly to the low 30s tomorrow and then to highs in the mid-20s for Friday and the weekend.
Rain is also in the forecast, with Thursday’s showers changing to heavier showers on Friday and Saturday.
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