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© 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1927404.htm

THUNDERSTORMS caused widespread blackouts across South Australia overnight, leaving up to 10,000 people without power at one stage.

But ETSA Utilities said this morning that only about 300 of its customers remained without electricity after major work to restore services.

ETSA said the blackouts hit the Eyre Peninsula, mid and lower north and Yorke Peninsula areas last night and also affected parts of suburban Adelaide.

As well as strong winds and rain the storms caused an estimated 43,000 lightning strikes across the state in the 12 hours to 9am (CST) this morning, ETSA said.

Spokesman Craig Clarke sais ETSA expected services to be fully restored by this afternoon.

Adelaide Advertiser from Australian Associated Press 

SA: Green and Gold Energy to sign plans for private $30m, 15-megawatt solar farm possibly at Leigh Creek Woomera or Roxby Downs Plans for a private $30 million, 15-megawatt solar farm in one of the state’s most arid regions were likely to be signed off on 15 May 2007, reported The Advertiser (15/5/07, p. 3).

Would save investors 50pc off power bill: The public would be able to invest in the solar farm in a similar way that investors buy units in forestry companies. On 15 May, the chief executive of Green and Gold Energy, Greg Watson, met government electricity officials to put the finishing regulatory touches to a project he said would save domestic users more than 50 per cent off their power bill without having to install solar panels on their roofs.

Facility about 200,000sq/m: “I am confident there will not be any issues,” he said. Mr Watson, who invented SolarCube technology, said the 200,000 sq/m facility was likely to be located at Leigh Creek in Woomera or Roxby Downs.

The Advertiser, 15/5/2007, p.3

Queensland’s second largest power station, Swanbank, was confident of returning to full production this year, despite Rio Tinto sacking 160 miners supplying the nearby Tarong power station because of the worsening drought. Rio Tinto said it had no choice but to reduce production levels at Tarong mine and cut employee numbers. According to Stephen Wisenthal and Mark Ludlow in The Australian Financial Review (17/5/07, p. 8), State Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said it could be the first in a wave of job losses; after level 5 water orders led to:

•  Tarong to cut its electricity production by 70 per cent;

•  Swanbank to cut electricity production production in half.

Tarong Energy cut production at the 1400 megawatt Tarong station at the beginning of April to conserve water, as the dam that supplied it, fell to 15 per cent of capacity.

Pipeline to reach Swanbank a year before Tarong: But CS Energy, the government-owned generator that owned Swanbank, has maintained deliveries of coal from miner New Hope. It was ready to return the 480 megawatt station to full capacity as soon as it was connected to the recycled water pipeline, which would arrive at Swanbank in August or September, a year earlier than it was scheduled to reach Tarong.

The Australian Financial Review, 17/5/2007, p.8

Online organisation Live Earth has organised a global network of virtual concerts to complement the seven live concerts that will be held on July 7th (7/7/7) to raise awareness of global warming.The Live Earth concerts will be held in Sydney, New York, London, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Johannesburg and Kyoto.

The virtual concerts will be held in conjunction with the real event and encourage people to organise events where they get together to clap out the international distress signal, Morse Code for S.O.S. More information on the Live Earth Website Madonna has released a free single ‘Hey You’ to promote the event.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 16/5/2007, p. 2

Source: Erisk Net