Queensland hit a new record for energy demand on Wednesday evening, a day after Victoria reached the same milestone.
Much of eastern Australia has seen colder than average temperatures this week .
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said Queensland “achieved a new record maximum winter operating demand” of 8,728 megawatts.
This is an increase of 12 megawatts over the previous record set on July 4, 2022.
Parts of the Scenic Rim south of Brisbane were blanketed in snow for the first time in almost a decade on Wednesday as cold temperatures and strong winds hit the state’s south.
Brisbane experienced its coldest morning in more than a year on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 7.4C just before 6am.
Queensland’s overall peak demand record was set on January 22, when extreme temperatures and humidity pushed demand for electricity from the grid to a high of 11,005 megawatts at 5pm.
Victoria broke a 17-year record for maximum winter demand on Tuesday as the state shivered with temperatures up to six degrees below average for this time of year.
As of 6pm on Monday, AEMO recorded demand of 8,612 megawatts, up more than 250 megawatts from the previous record set in July 2007.
NSW hit a new high in wind-generated power on Wednesday, according to national energy market analysts.
Wind output in NSW reached 2,293 megawatts just after midnight, breaking the record set in April.
AEMO had indicated the state could break demand records again on Wednesday but failed to meet the target.
Earlier this month, AEMO issued a warning about gas supply levels in the eastern states over the coming months.
The market operator said so and demand trends in NSW, Victoria and South Australia indicate there is “risk of gas supply shortages due to depleted storage supplies in the south”.
AEMO noted that the threat of gas shortages, driven by an increase in gas demand due to recent cold weather and disruptions at a gas plant in Victoria, is likely to continue until September 30.