In November Energy Minister Joe Tripodi claimed that NSW had one of the world’s most reliable energy systems, according to the Daily Telegraph. Mr Tripodi defended the Government’s energy record despite the Nemco report warning NSW faces blackouts at peak times and steep price rises.
Mr Tripodi was unable to guarantee that the state would not have blackouts this summer. “It would be impossible to predict,” he told Macquarie Radio. “You don’t know what can happen.”
Mr Tripodi argued the NEMMCO report confirmed the system’s reliability. “We are prepared as much as humanly possible for every possible predictable problem that could come into the system,” he said. But Mr Tripodi admitted the Government was wary of planning for electricity in the long term. “If you invest too early it’s a waste of money because you’ve got idle capacity sitting around and we want to have it there ready when we need it,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph, 26/10/2006, p. 22