We keep track of breakdowns at the National Electricity Market’s fossil fuel powered stations.
Reliability Watch is monitoring breakdowns at fossil fuel powered stations across the National Electricity Market. As these stations get older, they are more likely to break down, especially in hot weather, when demand is usually high. We need to keep a close eye on our electricity system’s reliability, because what we can measure, we can improve.
Failures and breakdowns
We use data from the Australian Energy Market Operator to watch for breakdowns – when a fossil fuel powered station suddenly stops generating electricity.
Millmerran
MPP 1
217
18/4/2025 4:10 PM
Yallourn 'W' Power Station
YWPS1
329 MW
16/4/2025 8:40 AM
Tarong Power Station
TARONG#3
139 MW
10/4/2025 8:45 AM
Gladstone Power Station
GSTONE4
137 MW
7/4/2025 12:45 PM
Reliability key to keeping the energy transition on track
Reliability Watch monitors the National Electricity Market’s fossil fuel power plants for breakdowns. We started with summer 2024 - 2025 (October - March) because fossil fuel powered stations are more likely to breakdown in hot weather, when demand is also likely to be high.
Learn more about us
New Analysis: Coal Broke Down 128 Times Over Summer Period
A new analysis by Reliability Watch shows Australia’s ageing coal power stations broke down a staggering 128 times over the summer period, eight times more than the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) was expecting.
