Prolonged Use of Old Coal Plants Could Lead to Energy Shortfalls, Spike Electricity Costs: IEEFA

By the 2030s, Australia’s coal-fired power stations will be nearing or exceeding the age at which they have usually been retired in the past.

A general view of the coal-fired Tarong Power Station in regional Queensland, Australia on Jan. 18, 2025. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Australia is at risk of facing an insufficient electricity supply to provide for people and businesses amid the extension of operating coal-fueled power plants, a think tank says.

Moreover, using gas to generate power as a way to compensate for the shortage, as anticipated, would lead to worsened gas deficiency and an increase in electricity and gas prices.