‘3rd-World Power System’: Former Energy Boss Says After Blackout Threats in NSW

Former Snowy Hydro CEO believed the rushed transition to net zero emissions was behind the unreliable power grid.

Light bulbs in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 17, 2022. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

The former CEO of a major government-owned energy company in Australia has called New South Wales’ (NSW) power grid a “third-world system.”

This comes after a surge in energy usage caused by high temperatures in mid-December put significant pressure on the NSW power system, prompting the state government to request its residents to turn off their home appliances between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to prevent blackouts.