Current intensity: 0.54 tCO₂e/MWh (22% renewable) · Updated
WA1 · WEM, 30-min intervals
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Western Australia operates the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) independently of the NEM, with no interconnection to the eastern states. The grid's carbon intensity is primarily driven by gas-fired generation, which supplies the majority of electricity in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). Gas has a lower emission factor than coal, approximately 0.49–0.65 tCO₂/MWh depending on the plant type, giving WA a moderate baseline intensity.
Wind and solar capacity are growing across the SWIS, and rooftop solar penetration is reducing daytime demand and intensity. However, the lack of interconnection means Western Australia cannot import lower-emission electricity from other regions, making local generation mix the sole determinant of grid intensity.
For organisations operating in Western Australia, the 30-minute trading interval and gas-dominated generation create a different intensity profile to the NEM regions. Monitoring WA's grid intensity separately is important for accurate Scope 2 reporting and for identifying optimal times for flexible load scheduling.
Western Australia’s grid carbon intensity is driven primarily by gas-fired generation, which has a moderate emission factor of approximately 0.49–0.65 tCO₂/MWh depending on plant type. The live figure and 7-day trend are shown above.
The WEM has no interconnection to the NEM or any other market, so Western Australia’s grid carbon intensity is determined entirely by the local generation mix, unlike NEM regions that can shift emissions via interconnector imports.
Wind and solar capacity are growing across the SWIS and rooftop solar is increasingly reducing daytime intensity, but gas remains the dominant fuel source, so the improvement trend is gradual relative to the NEM regions.
gridIQ derives carbon intensity from AEMO generation dispatch data combined with published fuel-source emission factors, refreshed on the same 30-minute cadence as the underlying WEM generation-mix data.