Queensland and NSW warned of outages as pressure on energy climbs

Residents in Queensland and New South Wales were warned to brace for mass power outages on Monday night as energy suppliers battled to keep up with demand.

Queensland residents were urged to conserve power between the peak hours of 5pm and 8.30pm on Monday and 8am on Tuesday.

By late on Monday night, a spokesperson for the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said the power system had stabilised and power deficits in Queensland had been avoided.

The situation will be monitored throughout the week.

READ MORE: The COVID-19 work expenses Aussies may be able to claim

"Critical electricity supply shortfalls in Queensland this evening have improved, following actions including AEMO directing generator availability," a spokesperson for AEMO said.

The spokesperson called the potential power shortage a "unique situation", adding international gas prices influenced by global tensions had caused the price spike.

Powerlink Queensland confirmed winter heating and "unexpected generator outages" contributed to power shortfalls.

Potential power supply reserve shortfalls may occur again in Queensland and NSW in the coming days.

NSW approached its threshold on Monday night, and other states may follow "in teh near term", the AEMO spokesperson said.

The AEMO said similar scenarios happen in summer due to the high electricity demands of air conditioning.

Powerlink Queensland said reducing power during periods of potential electricity shortages may alleviate stress on the power system and ensure essential services and commercial businesses don't lose power.

"By carefully managing electricity use at home and in your workplace, the community can help ensure that power system security is maintained in Queensland," Powerlink chief executive Paul Simshauser said.

"Community safety and wellbeing is important so only manage energy consumption if it is safe to do so."

Queenslanders are advised in these situations to reduce or consider the number of rooms in their home that require heating to save energy and to turn off TVs, computers and other household appliances not in use.

Residents are also asked to consider turning off pool pumps and second fridges during peak energy times when notified.

READ MORE: Traffic stop between a white state trooper and Black man takes surprising turn

Commercial business owners and staff can reduce the number of lights used inside their businesses or turn off unnecessary advertising or exterior lighting.

Businesses can also help save power during power shortage warnings by turning off unnecessary water heating systems.