No doubt there will be some serious questions asked about how a state's entire power grid failed. We are wrapping up the blog now. For those in South Australia spending a night by candle light, keep safe.
The storm which has ravaged South Australia is a disturbing preview of what's likely to come if Australia fails to act on climate change, according to the Climate Council.
Storms like the one which knocked out the entire South Australian electricity network are occurring in a warmer and wetter atmosphere, the Climate Council's Professor Will Steffen said.
"These conditions, driven by climate change, are likely increasing the intensity of storms like the one in South Australia," he said.
"Australians are being affected right now by climate change. We have people trapped by floodwaters, property destroyed and doctors working by torchlight in Adelaide as they struggle to cope with the latest in a series of more frequent and intense extreme weather events.
"The atmosphere is packing much more energy than 70 years ago, which contributes to the increasing intensity of such storms. Intense rainfall is projected to increase in Australia and has already increased at a global level.
"This is a prelude to a disturbing future. And it's only going to get worse if we don't address climate change."
Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the preliminary observations were that a "perfect storm" of events - including electricity transmission towers blowing over and a lightning strike at a power station - combined to cause a debilitating surge at a crucial interconnector with Victoria that supplies a fifth of South Australia's energy.
"So there will be a proper time to look at the causes of what has occurred because it's still, unfortunately, not that clear right now," Mr Frydenberg told ABC's 7.30 program, saying serious questions would need to be answered about how an entire state could lose power.
"It's clearly not adequate because the ramifications are huge for so many people involved," he said.
Mr Frydenberg also suggested South Australia's high renewable energy uptake had implications for the stability of the energy system "when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining" but emphasised that the state-wide blackout was a result of the extreme weather event.
He has proposed bringing together the nation's energy ministers as soon as possible in a Council of Australian Governments meeting to figure out what happened and to ensure it is not repeated.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has addressed the media giving further details of exactly what went wrong to cause the power outage and plunge the state into chaos.
Speaking after a meeting of the emergency council, Mr Weatherill said the storm tore down three transmission lines and nine towers in the Port Augusta region.
He said the power system reacted to a large frequency drop by isolating South Australia from the rest of the Australian power network at 3.48pm on Wednesday.
South Australia draws its power from other states including Victoria via an interconnector.
He said power would be restored gradually across the state.
"It is likely that the southern part of the state - that is south of the break - will be restored first, the northern part of the state is likely to take longer," Mr Weatherill said.
He warned against politicising the weather event and bristled at criticism of the handling of the major event .
"For people to be saying those things without being actually appraised of all the facts demonstrates that people are using this to play politics instead of responding to what is a state emergency," he said.
"It is regrettable that people would leap to a political criticism at this time."
More photos from Blyth, in the Mid North of the state, where houses, roads and the local church have been severely damaged by the storm.
Back to topHail the size of golf balls battered Blyth, a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, located 13 kilometres west of the renowned Clare Valley.
Fast facts:
- 1.67 million residents without power
- 130,000 lightning strikes since 5pm
- Up to 34 millimetres of rain recorded since 9am at Mount Lofty, 15 km east of the Adelaide city centre.
- 425 incidents on Wednesday attended by SES
- 108 incidents still ongoing
A mother and her two children have been freed from being trapped in a lift for two hours during the South Australian blackout.
Tuyen Nguyen was trapped in the lift of the building from 4pm with her children Phillip, 13, and Catherine, 11, local media reported.
The family were leaving a dentist appointment on the sixth floor when they were trapped after the blackout struck.
"We were a bit frightened but relieved now," the 47-year-old said.
"We just need to eat something, I'm starving."
People out. Frewville mum Tuyen Nguyen in the lift of North Tce building 4pm to 6pm with children Phillip, 13, and Catherine, 11. #SAstorm pic.twitter.com/JX31qZ30E4
— Kurtis Eichler (@ByEichler) September 28, 2016
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) operates the interconnected power system athat provides electricity to South Australia from other states.
It confirmed the South Australian electricity market disconnected from Victoria at 4.20pm, resulting in a state-wide power outage in South Australia.
"AEMO is working closely with transmission network service provider ElectraNet to identify and understand the severity of the fault, as well as determine a power restoration time."
AEMO said the problem had not caused any supply interruptions in Victoria.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has declared a 'major incident' in the state, according to local media.
"Earlier this afternoon I declared the current situation a major incident under the emergency management act," Mr Stevens said.
"This gives us the capacity to ensure this major incident is managed and the resources are made available and coordinated as effectively as possible.
The commissioner labelled the blackout a "unique situation" but hastened to say the combined emergency services were prepared."whilst it is unusual we are
prepared and are able to take the necessary action to ensure public safety."
Back to topThe Clean Energy Council has quashed rumours of a connection between the blackout and the state's significant renewable energy generation efforts.
"The blackout in South Australia appears to have been caused by extreme winds which have caused damage to large electricity pylons at multiple locations across the state, policy manager Tom Butler said.
"This is not an issue relating to power generation - whether renewable energy, gas or otherwise - and by all accounts there was little that could have been done to prevent it.
Mr Butler said wind power was generating lots of electricity at the time the system went down, with the rest of the state supplied by gas-fired power and the interconnector.
"It is important to remember that this is a once-in-50-year storm, and no power system can fully prepare for the savage winds, lightning and hail that pounded the state today. It is a freak event."
Employees of AGL's Torrens Island Power Station, near Adelaide, have been accounted for and the station is secure, after an outage.
Statement from @aglenergy re SthAus blackout #FIVEaaNews pic.twitter.com/IxJbLlFu6Y
— Matthew Pantelis (@MatthewPantelis) September 28, 2016
AGL’s Torrens Island Power Station in Adelaide is offline due to SA outage. We are working with AEMO which coordinates power restoration.
— AGL Energy (@aglenergy) September 28, 2016
Good news - reports are beginning to flow in about power coming back to some of Adelaide's suburbs.
Gilberton, Hallett Cove, Kensington, Royston Park, Flagstaff Hill, Leabrook and Darlington are among some of the early reported suburbs with lights back on.
We are in the process of restoring power to parts of the metro area as transmission supplies become avail. More updates to follow.
— SA Power Networks (@SAPowerNetworks) September 28, 2016
Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the preliminary observations were that a "perfect storm" of events - including electricity transmission towers blowing over and a lightning strike at a power station - combined to cause a debilitating surge at a crucial interconnector with Victoria that supplies a fifth of South Australia's energy.
"So there will be a proper time to look at the causes of what has occurred because it's still, unfortunately, not that clear right now," Mr Frydenberg told ABC's 7.30 program, saying serious questions would need to be answered about how an entire state could lose power.
"It's clearly not adequate because the ramifications are huge for so many people involved," he said.
Mr Frydenberg also suggested South Australia's high renewable energy uptake had implications for the stability of the energy system "when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining" but emphasised that the state-wide blackout was a result of the extreme weather event.
He has proposed bringing together the nation's energy ministers as soon as possible in a Council of Australian Governments meeting to figure out what happened and to ensure it is not repeated.
Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg.
Our man on the ground in Adelaide, Ashley Porter, says power is returning sooner than expected in the CBD:
"Let there be light. The city is starting to light up so here's hoping the rest of the state will have power restored a lot sooner than the expected 4am prediction.
"While businesses have lost millions, there is one smart pub in McLaren Vale making heaps - it has a generator and best of luck waiting for people to leave a tale in the dining room.
"Personally, it's been the candlelight dinner I promised 30 years ago. Hey guys, let's not rush turning the lights back on just yet."
Back to topPolice were called in to direct traffic after all the traffic lights failed in the power outage, causing chaos on the roads.
A dramatic image from the Himawari-8 satellite at 5.30pm on Wednesday shows the extent of the storm that has ripped through South Australia
Emergency crews were called to the inner-southern suburb of Springfield in Adelaide after a large tree toppled over in the storm that has plunged the state into chaos.
Adelaide Airport is back up and running after a confusing set of tweets (see post at 6.41pm).
"Flights now arriving and departing. Still some delays. Check with your airline for latest flight info," the airport said on Twitter.
Please note @AdelaideAirport flight info on website & in terminal not currently up to date. Check airline sites for latest.
— Adelaide Airport (@AdelaideAirport) September 28, 2016
Federal Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler said the immediate priority was ensuring the safety of South Australians and "there will be plenty of time to investigate what exactly has occurred and what needs to be done to boost the security of South Australia's energy supply".
"But that will come after we deal with the immediate outage and after we can be sure everyone is safe and sound," the South Australian senator said in a statement.
South Australian opposition leader Stephen Marshall said there were conflicting messages about the cause of the outage and how long it was going to take to fix.
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