Current intensity: 0.59 tCO₂e/MWh (33% renewable) · Updated
NSW1 · NEM, 30-min calculation
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New South Wales is the largest electricity region in the National Electricity Market by demand. The grid's carbon intensity is primarily driven by the output of black coal-fired power stations including Eraring, Bayswater, Vales Point, and Mt Piper, which contribute the bulk of baseload generation. When these plants are running at high capacity, NSW's grid intensity typically sits between 0.6 and 0.9 tCO₂/MWh.
Daytime solar generation, both rooftop and utility-scale, is steadily reducing the midday carbon intensity profile, while wind farms across the state contribute variable low-emission generation. Interconnector flows from Queensland and Victoria also influence the effective emission intensity, particularly during periods of high renewable output in neighbouring regions.
For organisations with operations in NSW, tracking real-time grid intensity enables time-matched Scope 2 emissions accounting and supports load-shifting strategies that reduce both carbon footprint and electricity costs.
NSW grid carbon intensity is calculated from live AEMO generation-mix data and typically sits between 0.6 and 0.9 tCO₂/MWh when black coal plants are running at high output. The live figure and 7-day trend are shown above.
NSW carbon intensity falls during daylight hours as rooftop and utility-scale solar output rises, and climbs again through the evening peak as coal and gas generation ramp up to cover the drop in solar.
The retirement schedule of NSW’s black coal fleet (Eraring, Bayswater, Vales Point, Mt Piper) and the pace of new utility-scale solar and wind commissioning are the two largest structural drivers of the state’s grid intensity trend.
gridIQ derives carbon intensity from AEMO generation dispatch data combined with published fuel-source emission factors, refreshed on the same cadence as the underlying generation-mix data.