Current intensity: 0.58 tCO₂e/MWh (52% renewable) · Updated
VIC1 · NEM, 30-min calculation
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Victoria's grid carbon intensity has historically been among the highest in the NEM due to the Latrobe Valley's brown coal generators: Yallourn and Loy Yang A and B. Brown coal has the highest emission factor of any fuel type at approximately 1.22 tCO₂/MWh, meaning Victorian baseload intensity often exceeds 0.8 tCO₂/MWh during periods of high coal output.
However, Victoria's expanding wind generation fleet across western Victoria is progressively lowering the average intensity, particularly during periods of strong wind. The state's interconnections with South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania provide further opportunities for lower-emission imports when local renewable generation is high in those regions.
As brown coal plant retirements accelerate, Victoria's carbon intensity profile is expected to shift significantly. Tracking these changes in real time is essential for accurate Scope 2 reporting and for organisations looking to align electricity consumption with lower-emission periods.
Victoria’s grid carbon intensity is calculated from live AEMO generation-mix data and often exceeds 0.8 tCO₂/MWh during periods of high brown coal output, reflecting brown coal’s emission factor of approximately 1.22 tCO₂/MWh. The live figure and 7-day trend are shown above.
The Latrobe Valley brown coal generators, Yallourn and Loy Yang A and B, have one of the highest emission factors of any fuel type in the NEM, which keeps Victoria’s baseline intensity elevated relative to other regions.
Victoria hosts the largest installed wind capacity in Australia. During periods of strong wind, intensity can fall significantly as brown coal output is displaced; during wind droughts it reverts to the coal-dominated baseline.
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.