Hydro storage peaked at more than 4,000 GWh during January before declining.
At the beginning of January 2009, New Zealand’s hydro-electric storage lakes stood at 3719 GigaWatt hours (GWh), 127% of average for the time of year. Storage improved during the first nine days of the month, peaking at 4177 GWh (139% of average) on the 9th. A slow decline then set in and storage lowered to 3647 GWh, 115% of average, by month’s end.
Inflows were above average on 12 days, being below average for the time of year from the 11th, apart from a 3-day boost from the 17th to the 19th.
South-to-north transfers via the Cook Strait cable exceeded southbound transfers on all 31 days, with no energy being transferred from the north during the month.
Adjusting weekday for weekday, daily demand was lower than January last year. However, peak load of 109.8 GWh occurred on the 29th, matching January 2008’s peak load which occurred on the 31st. Average daily demand during January 2009 was 92.6 GWh, lower than the previous January’s 98.6 GWh.
[Compiled from data supplied by M-co.]