Australia hit a new clean energy milestone during the December quarter, even as power demand rose over 2.2% from a year earlier, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said on Thursday.
Gas-fired generation fell to its lowest level since 2000, while total electricity generation across the National Electricity Market (NEM) rose 3.1% from a year earlier to just over 25,000 megawatts. The share of generation from renewables rose by 5 percentage points from a year earlier to exceed 50%.
The NEM does not include Western Australia or the Northern Territory. Western Australia also recorded higher renewable use and declines in fossil fuel use, even as the state extended the life of a coal plant over longer-term energy security worries. Origin Energy ORG.AXannounced an extension of a coal plant the same week.
Rooftop solar, wind and grid-scale solar output all rose by double digits, reflecting new capacity that is coming online as well as improved wind conditions, AEMO said. Battery discharge nearly tripled from a year earlier to 286 megawatts.
Coal and gas generation together fell below 50% of the generation mix, driving grid emissions to a record quarterly low of 23.4 million tons of CO2-equivalent.
The milestone comes as Australia tightens its rules for east-coast LNG exporters following AEMO forecasts of gas shortages later this decade. Australia is targeting a 46% cut in emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels and is seeking to source 82% of electricity from renewables by then.
(Reporting by Helen Clark; editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
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