00:00Jumping in to an early start to summer.
00:06With temperatures almost reaching 40 degrees in Penrith,
00:10Sydney's hottest end to spring in five years comes with its perks.
00:15We've got to beat the heat for school, no school today,
00:19because of the heat.
00:21Bit hot for school today.
00:23But a heatwave in November also presents serious challenges
00:28when it comes to keeping the lights on.
00:30A email has advised that there isn't quite enough supply
00:32to meet forecast demand during this evening's peak.
00:35Four of the state's ten power generators are offline for maintenance
00:39in preparation for the height of summer.
00:42But the hot weather is already here,
00:45and the bad timing creates the potential for widespread blackouts.
00:49What we are trying to do is reduce demand across the system
00:52by large energy users, by the government as well,
00:55and we're now asking households and businesses to see what they can do.
00:58If the air conditioner won't turn on,
01:00an afternoon dip is usually your best bet.
01:03But for those who don't live near the east coast,
01:06the newest way to cool off in the west, Penrith Beach, remains closed.
01:11Part of so-called Pond Eye is still under construction.
01:15We saw 200,000 residents flock to it last year.
01:18We think there's a real opportunity to make this a permanent facility,
01:21not just for the people of Penrith, but the residents of Western Sydney.
01:24We're making it better and bigger than last year,
01:27but we are in the middle of getting it ready for summer.
01:31The Premier won't say when the government plans to reopen the swimming spot,
01:35hoping to keep expectations low as the mercury gets set to rise.
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