Documents show prime minister knew the failure of Torrens Island plant affected efforts to restart power before he made comments about renewables
Officials told Malcolm Turnbull a major gas plant shut down during the freak storm that plunged South Australia into blackout last September, with the malfunction caused by a lightning strike or an “automatic shutdown to protect generation assets”.
Documents obtained by the progressive thinktank the Australia Institute suggest a failure of gas power played a significant role in both the blackout, and during efforts to restart the power after the storm event.
Related: Turnbull ignored advice that renewable energy not to blame for SA blackouts
Related: South Australia’s blackout explained (and no, renewables aren’t to blame)