Capability 1.3.1.1
Clean Electricity Generation
Definition
Availability of reliable, low-carbon power to operate AI data centres and HPC facilities. Includes renewables (solar, wind) and other dispatchable sources - generation that can be adjusted as needed to meet 24/7 energy demands (e.g. gas and battery storage).
Examples
- Energy sources such as Snowy Hydro, Energy Australia, AGL.
- Energy Australia (Hong Kong CLP group)
- Iberdrola (Spain).
Indicators
- Total installed capacity (GW)
- Average wholesale electricity price (AUD/MWh)
- Grid reliability (% of uptime, outages/year)
- Renewables share
- Total transmission capacity (TW); reliability, electrical outages (% of firms; World Bank) or capacity margin (diffuse sources)
National AI Plan
PLAN COMMITMENT
Moderate commitment
Acknowledges importance of clean electricity and renewable energy, with the government working with states and territories, energy service providers and data centre industry on renewable energy investment opportunities linked to data centres (Action 1, Action 3, Action 5). The 2026 expectations of data centres and AI infrastructure developers, include 'Expectation 2 – Supporting Australia’s energy transition'. Plan includes no details on working across government to leverage this advantage to fill capability gaps elsewhere in the AI ecosystem. Moderate commitment by government in the plan aligns roughly with the recommendation to prioritise building agency, although greater attention is recommended.
Stocktake
Energy data explorer. CSIRO National Energy Analysis Centre. https://research.csiro.au/neac/data-tools-and-energy-modelling/energy-data-explorer/
Keeping the lights on: How Australia should navigate the era of coal closures and prepare for what comes next. Wood, Reeve and Yan. Grattan Institute. 28 April 2024. https://grattan.edu.au/report/keeping-the-lights-on/
Clean Energy Australia 2025 report. Clean Energy Council. 28 May 2025. https://cleanenergycouncil.org.au/news-resources/clean-energy-australia-report-2025
Australia 2023: Energy Policy Review. International Energy Agency. 19 April 2023. https://www.iea.org/reports/australia-2023
2024 Integrated Service Plan Generation and Storage Outlook. Autralian Energy Market Operator. 26 June 2024. https://www.aemo.com.au/energy-systems/major-publications/integrated-system-plan-isp/2024-integrated-system-plan-isp
Is the Stocktake missing evidence?
Share additional information for potential future Assessments