Experts, including Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute, warn that insufficient maintenance on aging coal plants is exacerbating breakdowns and reliability concerns.

By 2030, it is anticipated that two-thirds of Australia's coal fleet will exceed the historical average retirement age, raising concerns about more outages and reliability.

As coal plants approach the end of their life cycle, there is a dilemma for owners regarding investment in maintenance, which directly impacts reliability.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has noted that unplanned coal outages have been a daily occurrence for the past two years, posing significant risks to grid reliability.

The coal plants in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland are aging, with an average age of 38 years, nearing the 42-year mark for potential shutdown, which is leading to reliability issues.

The Eraring coal plant in New South Wales has averaged 6,000 hours of downtime per year, while Yallourn has averaged 8,000 hours, indicating significant operational challenges.

Bowen has affirmed government support for accelerating renewable energy deployment, highlighting the economic challenges posed by aging coal plants.

Analysis from Baringa Partners reveals that coal plants older than 40 years experience about 35% of their capacity as inoperable annually, compared to 19% for younger plants.

While the government aims for 82% renewable energy by 2030, experts emphasize that reliable energy supply during coal plant retirements will require a focus on backup systems, like gas.

Electricity prices are projected to rise due to these outages, with price caps expected to increase by up to 9.7% in New South Wales and up to 5% in parts of Victoria starting July 1, 2025.

Coal currently supplies around 60% of Australia's electricity, while renewables contribute the remaining 40%.

Recent outages, such as the shutdown of the Yallourn power station in Victoria, have caused wholesale electricity prices to spike to over $10,000 per megawatt-hour, underscoring the economic impact of coal plant failures.