Australia’s main electricity grid passed a major clean-energy milestone in the December quarter, with renewable sources supplying more than half of total power generation, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
The achievement came even as electricity demand across the National Electricity Market (NEM) — which covers most eastern and southern states — rose by 2.2% from a year earlier, while total generation increased 3.1% to just over 25,000 megawatts.
AEMO said the share of renewables jumped by five percentage points to exceed 50%, driven by strong growth in rooftop solar, wind and utility-scale solar capacity, alongside better wind conditions during the period.
Gas-fired power fell to its lowest level since 2000, while combined coal and gas generation dropped below half of the electricity mix, pushing power-sector emissions to a record quarterly low of 23.4 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent.
Battery storage also played a growing role, with discharges nearly tripling from a year earlier to 286 megawatts, helping to stabilise the grid as more intermittent renewable power came online.
Western Australia, which is not part of the NEM, also recorded higher renewable use and reduced fossil-fuel generation, although the state extended the life of a coal plant over concerns about long-term energy security.
Origin Energy announced a similar coal plant extension during the same week, underscoring the tension between the rapid shift to clean energy and the need to maintain reliable electricity supplies.
The milestone comes as Canberra tightens rules on east-coast liquefied natural gas exporters, following forecasts by AEMO of potential gas shortages later this decade.
Australia is aiming to cut national greenhouse gas emissions by 46% from 2005 levels by 2030 and to source 82% of its electricity from renewables by the end of the decade.
The December quarter results suggest the country is moving closer to those targets, even as rising demand and fuel supply risks continue to test the energy system.