Energy ministers have been reassured a "strong plan" is in place to minimise the risk of blackouts over summer, but it will still be a challenge.
Federal minister Angus Taylor met with his state and territory counterparts in Sydney on Friday to discuss ways to cut power bills, increase supply and provide greater reliability especially in peak times.
However, they did not settle on a final plan to put in a place a default market offer by July 1 next year or a comparison rate against which all offers could be measured, in a bid to push down power prices.
Australian Energy Market Operator chief Audrey Zibelman briefed the ministers on her agency's preparations to secure supply over summer - the details of which will be made public in a report in mid-November.
Ms Zibelman told the meeting there was a "strong plan" in place for summer - a period of very high power demand.
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But she noted extra measures would be needed to support reliability into the future, including further transmission and interconnection.
"AEMO has been trying to fill the gap of 400 megawatts and we know that the summer is going to be a tough one," Mr Taylor said after the meeting.
"We do not want to be in this position (of a supply shortfall) again now or in the future.
"We want to be in a position in 10 years' time that the supply and demand is matched and energy companies have to make sure that there's enough electricity generation and energy to meet the needs of hard-working Australians."
Such a policy not only kept the lights on but would push down prices, he said.
The ministers agreed to the Energy Security Board doing further work before December's meeting on draft national electricity law amendments to put in place a "retailer reliability obligation".
Under the obligation, if the right investment does not come forward to address forecast supply shortfalls, this would trigger an obligation on electricity retailers to demonstrate they can meet their share of peak demand.
More work is also to be done on a long-term market framework to support reliability that could apply from the mid 2020s.
Action on a default market offer in terms of retail electricity prices and a comparison rate against which all offers could be measured was kicked on to the December meeting.
Asked about a proposal to get power companies to divest assets if their withdrawal of generation threatens supply, Mr Taylor said it would only be used in an "extreme set of circumstances".
The Australian Energy Council talked down potential savings from the government's plans, arguing prices were high because input costs were high.
Queensland energy minister Anthony Lynham said it was a disappointing meeting.
"Any Australian that thinks this government has a grasp on energy and climate policy is sadly mistaken," he said.
Victoria's Lily D'Ambrosio described it as "Groundhog Day" for energy policy.
"We've had three prime ministers, three energy ministers and more failed energy policies that you can count, and we've seen more of that today," she said.
