They have 30GW of renewables in the AEMO connection pipeline at the moment, ~7GW greater than entire continent coal generation (which will add to current renewables capacity) [1] [2]. Batteries are scaling up to consume grid services revenue and drive out thermal generation [3].

Also of note: "NEM total emissions declined this quarter to the lowest Q2 level on record, of 28.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 6.6 per cent lower than Q2 2022, whilst emissions intensity dropped 4.3 per cent to 0.61 tCO2 e/MWh."

"“Rooftop solar generation increased 30 per cent from Q2 2022, which reduced electricity demand from the grid. Coupled with higher renewable output, wholesale prices were zero or negative nine per cent of the quarter throughout the NEM, a new Q2 record,” Ms Mouchaileh said." This bears repeating: 9 percent of the time, the wholesale cost of power is zero or negative.

[1] https://www.energymagazine.com.au/aemo-quarterly-energy-repo...

[2] https://opennem.org.au/facilities/au/?status=operating

[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-04/how-tesla... | https://archive.is/egMXl

We should try to keep it that way.

If they discovered a new source of coal, as large, clean and easy to mine as their best ever existing coal seams, they'd be financially better off putting solar PV over the top of it than mining the coal seam. So that problem should solve itself if they let the market do its thing and don't tilt it to help out coal mine owners.