Slight rise welcomed in Tassie dams
Tasmania's water storages have risen for the first time this year.
A few days of heavy rain and strong winds have pushed stocks up to a level not seen since September 2015.
Record dry conditions have seen hydro dam levels fall steadily since spring.
But dam levels are now at 13 per cent, up 0.2 per cent in just a week, with the two major systems - Lake Gordon and Great Lake - rising 0.3 per cent each.
When Tasmania’s Basslink undersea power cable failed in December, the state was forced to rely more heavily on its hydro-power infrastructure at a time when it was at its weakest.
Energy Minister Matthew Groom says the State Government's power shortage contingencies – temporary diesel generators and restarting of the gas-fired Tamar Valley Power Station - are working.
But Mr Groom has revealed that the Trent unit gas turbine at the Tamar Valley station is currently offline, after an exhaust gas leak forced it to shut down.
The gas turbine has been sent to Abu Dhabi for repairs, and its return has been fast-tracked due to the energy crisis. The unit is expected to be operational again by the end of the week.
Basslink is waiting on the weather before it begins the next phase of repairs to the interconnector, which are scheduled to start this week.
The cable is still not expected to return to service until mid-June.
Meanwhile, for those who do not want the state to keep increasing its reliance on fossil fuels, more forecast rain in catchment areas will be welcome.