Overview
- AEMO’s 2026 Electricity Statement of Opportunities, released Tuesday, projects National Electricity Market consumption will climb from about 176 terawatt hours to roughly 250 TWh by 2035–36.
- The market operator forecasts data‑centre demand will grow from about 5 TWh now to roughly 34 TWh by 2035–36, rising from about 3% to around 13% of grid‑supplied power.
- The number of data‑centre projects in development roughly doubled to 225 this year, but AEMO found 36% of previously listed projects were cancelled and operating centres used only about 26% of their connected capacity in early 2026.
- About 15 gigawatts of coal and gas capacity are scheduled to retire through the decade, including Yallourn in 2028 and Gladstone and Eraring in 2029, and AEMO says recent additions of generation and storage keep the system reliable to 2030 but forecast gaps after the early 2030s.
- The report signals pressure on local networks and communities where facilities cluster near cities, and it urges faster delivery of generation, batteries, transmission and commercial arrangements for firm 24/7 power to protect reliability and keep costs down.