Australia must ramp up on renewables to avert blackouts

Australia’s east could face blackout risks from the middle of this decade if renewable energy projects are not ramped up as the country moves rapidly away from its dependency on coal-fired power stations, the energy market operator warned on Tuesday.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said reliability gaps on energy transmission could emerge from 2025 and then widen in 2027, when at least five coal power stations were expected to retire, cutting 13% from the National Electricity Market (NEM) grid.
The NEM covers all Australian regions except the state of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
“Urgent and ongoing investment in renewable energy, long-duration storage and transmission is needed to reliably meet demand from Australian homes and businesses,” AEMO Chief Executive Officer Daniel Westerman said in a statement.