Coal Generates Less Than Half of Australian Power for First Time

(Bloomberg) -- The high winds that have been lashing southeastern Australia over the past few days have pushed coal-fired power below 50% of the country’s power mix for the first time ever.

The fossil fuel accounted for 49.2% of electricity generation in the week through Monday, the first time it’s fallen below half on a weekly rolling basis, according to figures from Open-NEM, a data aggregator. Wind farms generated just over a quarter of power during the period.

Australia’s rapid shift to solar and wind generation to replace its fleet of aging coal plants has made it a global test case for the energy transition. It’s also resulted in it becoming one of the world’s most volatile power markets, leading to an unprecedented halt in spot trading in June 2022.

Coal generation fell to 56% last year, from 87% in 2006, the highest level this century, the data show. Wind and solar’s combined output was 31% in 2023. The Open-NEM figures cover the National Electricity Market, which supplies power to more than 80% of Australia’s population. 

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