Australia energy mix & electricity
Power plants in Australia produced 286 TWh of electricity in 2025. The biggest single contributor is coal with 42.7%; solar power adds 19.6% and natural gas 16.4%.
Electricity generation by source in 2025
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 122 | 42.7% | −21.1 |
| Solar | 56.09 | 19.6% | +17.2 |
| Gas | 47.05 | 16.4% | −3.1 |
| Wind | 39.23 | 13.7% | +9 |
| Hydro | 12.22 | 4.3% | −1.3 |
| Oil | 6.36 | 2.2% | −0.3 |
| Bioenergy | 3.04 | 1.1% | −0.4 |
| Total | 286 | 100% |
Australia: electricity in context
Power plants in Australia produced 286 TWh of electricity in 2025. That is about 0.9% of the world total, in the same league as Spain. The biggest single contributor is coal with 42.7%; solar power adds 19.6% and natural gas 16.4%.
38.6% of the country’s power came from renewable sources: 77th of 158 countries. That is 5 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Oceania (41.4%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 525 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. The grid is more carbon-intensive than the world average. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Australia is 103rd of 158.
Since 2015, the fastest-growing source has been solar power: its output rose by 49.9 TWh, lifting its share by 17.2 percentage points. The biggest decline came from coal (−39.9 TWh). The net effect: renewables gained 24.5 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation grew by 32.4 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 730 to 525 g/kWh, a 28% cut.
The coal phase-down is well under way: 63.9% of generation in 2015, 42.7% by 2025. In absolute terms, coal generation peaked in 2006 at 186 TWh and has since fallen 34%.
Solar (19.6%) and wind (13.7%) now add up to 33.3% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 2,079 kWh of solar electricity a year, 6.2× the global average. In solar electricity per person, Australia ranks 1st in the world. Wind adds 1,454 kWh per person, the 8th-highest figure of 156 countries. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2013.
Generation per person is 10,615 kWh a year, 2.8× the world average of 3,860 kWh. Australia does not trade electricity with other countries: the grid is not interconnected with any neighbour.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
Australia against the world and Oceania averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 14.7% of primary energy and fossil fuels 85.3% (2024). Per person, that is 62,595 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in Australia
The 486 power plants recorded in Australia add up to 65.9 GW of capacity, 39% of it Coal. The largest is Bayswater at 2,640 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayswater | Coal | 2,640 | — | Macquarie Generation |
| 2 | Liddell | Coal | 2,200 | — | Macquarie Generation |
| 3 | Loy Yang A | Coal | 2,180 | — | GEAC Great Energy Alliance Corporation |
| 4 | Gladstone | Coal | 1,680 | — | GPS Joint Venture |
| 5 | Hazelwood | Coal | 1,600 | — | Hazelwood Power |
| 6 | Tumut 3 | Hydro | 1,500 | — | Snowy Hydro Ltd |
| 7 | Yallourn | Coal | 1,480 | — | TRUenergy |
| 8 | Stanwell | Coal | 1,460 | — | Stanwell Corporation Ltd |
| 9 | Mt Piper | Coal | 1,400 | — | Delta |
| 10 | Tarong | Coal | 1,400 | — | Stanwell Corporation Ltd |
| 11 | Vales Point B | Coal | 1,360 | — | Delta Electricity |
| 12 | Loy Yang B | Coal | 1,000 | — | IPM Australia Limited |
| 13 | Murray 1 | Hydro | 950 | — | Snowy Hydro Ltd |
| 14 | Millmerran | Coal | 856 | — | Intergen |
| 15 | Callide C | Coal | 840 | — | CS Energy |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 486 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Australia
1,253 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 13.5 GW of solar and 12.1 GW of wind operating, plus 375 GW under construction or planned.
How does Australia compare?
Australia next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 38.6% | 38.6% | 61.4% | 525 | 10,615 | 286 | — | |
| Timor-Leste | 0% | 0% | 100% | 667 | 364 | 0.5 | Compare | |
| Papua New Guinea | 23.7% | 23.7% | 76.3% | 514 | 447 | 4.7 | Compare | |
| Indonesia | 18.1% | 18.1% | 81.9% | 680 | 1,311 | 372 | Compare | |
| New Caledonia | 26.9% | 26.9% | 73.1% | 561 | 10,661 | 3.1 | Compare | |
| Malaysia | 20.7% | 20.7% | 79.3% | 602 | 5,589 | 201 | Compare | |
| Brunei | 0.2% | 0.2% | 99.8% | 892 | 12,016 | 5.6 | Compare | |
| Oceania average | 41.4% | 41.4% | 58.6% | 495 | 7,331 | 338 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Australia
Australia energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Australia is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Australia?
How clean is the electricity in Australia?
Does Australia have nuclear power?
How much electricity does Australia use per person?
How much solar power does Australia produce?
More countries in Oceania
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.