AEMO removes suspension, restores wholesale power markets in all Australian regions

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The wholesale electricity market was suspend on 15 June after a loss of almost 5GW of capacity offer. Image: Neoen Solar

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has lifted the wholesale power market suspension in all regions of the National Electricity Market (NEM) from 2pm today (AEST), after intervening more than a week ago.

The reduction of electricity shortfalls and fewer manual interventions from AEMO were among the reasons for a return to regular operations today.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

On Wednesday 15 June, AEMO suspended the country’s spot market and issued direct interventions to 5GW of generation capacity the day before and set a AU$300/MWh (US$207.2/MWh) price cap in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia after reaching the high price threshold.

Australia has been facing an increase of the electricity market price since the beginning of the year, which reached a level in Q1 2022 not seen since 2019, as well as winter conditions that have pushed up the demand for gas and electricity in many regions.

“The current energy challenge in eastern Australia is the result of several factors across the interconnected gas and electricity markets. This includes periods of high electricity demand, coupled with a large volume of generation unavailable due to maintenance or unplanned events, planned transmission outages and high energy commodity prices,” AEMO said.

After the victory of the Labor party in the country’s recent elections, the solar sector in Australia is poised to grow significantly after the incoming government vowed to turn Australia into a “renewables superpower” by increasing renewables investment and upgrading the country’s grid infrastructure.

Read Next

June 10, 2025
Australia’s Queensland government has confirmed an AU$2.4 billion investment in the CopperString transmission project, aiming to extend the National Electricity Market (NEM) to the North West Minerals Province.
June 6, 2025
Australia’s Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has called on Australia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, to “urgently intervene” on a rule change that could threaten to derail the uptake of rooftop solar PV.
June 6, 2025
ElectraNet has revealed that renewables supplied 100% of South Australia's electricity demand for 27% of 2024, roughly 99 days.
Premium
June 3, 2025
In May 2025, utility-scale and rooftop solar PV dipped by 579GWh month-on-month in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) to 2,861GWh.
June 2, 2025
Government-owned electricity retailer Jacana Energy has contracted 45MW of solar PV from utility-scale projects in the Northern Territory, Australia.
May 30, 2025
Tasmania’s George Town council approved plans for a 288MW solar PV power plant this week, which is being pursued in Australia by German renewable energy developer ib vogt.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece