you dont like ai because it is easy to debunk your garbage
seems like you dont know what you are talking about....
and you opinion which is all you supplied is...based on historical evidence....worthless
AI Overview
High electricity prices in Australia are largely the result of a complex, multi-decade transition away from coal, compounded by a lack of long-term policy certainty. While global events have triggered price spikes, the underlying structural issue is that ageing, unreliable coal-fired generators are not being replaced quickly enough, forcing a reliance on expensive, fast-start gas generation. Climate Council
Climate Council
+3
Key factors contributing to the high prices include:
Lack of Coherent Policy & Investment Lag: Successive governments have failed to provide a consistent, long-term energy policy, leading to investment uncertainty and a "stop-start" approach to building new generation and storage.
Ageing Coal Assets: Australia's coal-fired power stations are reaching the end of their lives, leading to higher maintenance costs and frequent unplanned outages, which trigger price spikes.
Gas Market Exposure: East Coast gas prices have been historically high, and because gas generators often set the price in the National Electricity Market (NEM), this has kept electricity costs high.
Transmission Bottlenecks: The, transition to renewable energy (wind/solar) is slowed by slow approvals and lack of investment in new transmission lines to connect renewable energy zones.
Slow Renewable Rollout: Despite renewables being the lowest-cost form of new energy, the pace of their rollout, combined with storage (batteries), has not yet fully replaced the dispatchable capacity of retiring coal, causing volatility.
Climate Council
Climate Council
+3
Recent Developments (2025-2026):
As of early 2026, there are signs that the energy transition is starting to work, with wholesale prices in the National Electricity Market falling 44% in the final quarter of 2025 due to a surge in renewable output and new grid-scale batteries. However, retail prices for households are still being impacted by the legacy of the 2022-2024 price spikes and are expected to remain elevated in the short term, with forecasts suggesting a potential jump when government rebates expire.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
+2
Conclusion:
While a lack of a single, coherent long-term policy has created the "investment lag" responsible for the crisis, high prices are also directly tied to the technical reality of closing old coal plants and the volatility of international fuel
