Queenslanders were told to conserve power with the state risk of major blackouts.

There were fears of a shortage between 5pm-8.30pm.

The Australian Energy Market Operator had issued a “lack of reserve” notice for Queensland, directing some generators to continue meeting consumers’ demand.

The intervention came after the market operator imposed a $300-per-megawatt-hour price cap to halt runaway wholesale power prices, which limited the volume of bids into the market and reduced reserves.

This is slightly worrying. Australia’s wholesale energy market regulator, AEMO, says there could be electricity blackouts tonight in Queensland as a direct result of a price cap put on wholesale prices.@NewsTalk4BC https://t.co/wEoHIYbuDc pic.twitter.com/nhbeEDIO7R

— Luke Cooper (@luke__cooper) June 13, 2022

The head of Queensland’s power infrastructure body Powerlink is calling on Queenslanders to “try and manage their electricity consumption from 5pm this evening and again tomorrow morning due to a forecast possible shortfall in electricity supply”.

— Josh Bavas (@JoshBavas) June 13, 2022

Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser says the chilly weather in south-east Queensland is contributing to a higher than normal demand for electricity.

He says the demand for power this morning was up 7-8 per cent.

“On the supply side, we’ve got about 6 or 7 generators that are undergoing maintenance,” he told Scott Emerson.

He’s urging people to conserve power and be “thoughtful” over the next day or so, including tomorrow morning.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the warnings tonight, tomorrow