Sudden outages of old coal-fired power stations is expected to cause more blackouts this summer, according to an energy regulator.
Australians living and operating businesses in eastern states can expect a higher risk of blackouts this summer, especially in Victoria.
"Compared to last year's forecast, AEMO observes greater risks of load shedding due to uncontrollable, but increasingly likely, high impact ('tail risk') events such as simultaneous unplanned outages during hot days," the report said.
A key reason for the risks is the failing reliability of ageing coal-fired power stations.
In Victoria this summer, unplanned outages at Loy Yang A2 and Mortlake 2 "pose a significant risk" of insufficient supply that could lead to involuntary load shedding, the report said, potentially leaving up to 1.3 million households without power.
However, other states within the national electricity market aren't expected to experience such problems this summer.
The gradual closure of the Liddell coal-fired power station and a combination of high summer demand and unplanned generator outages will leave NSW "exposed to significant supply gaps and involuntary load shedding" at peak times unless mitigation is taken in advance.
