Australia’s target of achieving 82 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 will require significant investment in transmission infrastructure, greater utilisation of existing network assets, and new approaches to managing rapidly growing renewable electricity demand.
Those themes dominated discussions at Australian Energy Week 2026, which brought together more than 1250 delegates, 100 speakers, and representatives from over 400 organisations across the electricity sector at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9-12 June.
According to Aleks Zids, Managing Director of Quest Events, the complexity of the transition remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
“The energy sector is so complex, there’s so many different moving parts in transmission, distribution, generation and retail all happening at the exact same time,” Zids said.
“The real challenge is trying to coordinate those things so can make the transition happen quickly, smoothly, and the lowest cost to consumers.”
Transmission build-out
Speaking during a keynote address, Brett Redman, Chief Executive Officer at Transgrid, shared that Australia has entered a period of “deep transition” as coal-fired generation retires and renewable generation expands.
“In 2022, renewable energy made up about a third of the National Electricity Market output. Today it’s surged to nearly half. By 2035 it’s forecast to be 90 per cent,” Redman said.
Redman underlined that significant investment in transmission infrastructure is now required.
“Today, Transgrid operates 11,500 kilometres of transmission lines. To complete the deep transition, we need to build an additional 2000 kilometres of transmission in a single decade,” he said.
“We’re effectively rebooting a system that took more than 70 years to develop.”
Redman highlighted the completion of the 700-kilometre EnergyConnect interconnector linking South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
“This project opens access to more renewable energy for consumers across all three states,” he said.
“Independent modelling shows EnergyConnect will deliver $964 million in net benefits, even after higher costs.”
Redman also stressed that community support remains critical to delivering the infrastructure required for the transition.
“Social licence is not separate from the consumer story, it’s central to it. Every delay has a cost, and every project that loses community trust becomes harder, slower and more expensive,” Redman said.
Flexibility and system strength
Alongside new infrastructure, speakers highlighted the importance of making better use of existing network assets.
During a panel discussion examining network utilisation and customer outcomes, Lynne Gallagher, Board Member at the Australian Energy Regulator, highlighted that flexibility will become increasingly important as more distributed energy resources connect to the grid.
“Every load shape is a person, and if we put their devices to work, with the right protections and incentives, we can get far more out of the system we already have,” Gallagher said.
Suzanne Shipp, Chief Engineer at Energy Queensland, shared that distribution networks are undergoing a fundamental transformation.
“We’re moving from a static to a dynamic distribution network, where every customer is a participant, not just a consumer. To manage that fairly and safely, we need far better visibility, better technology, and new capabilities across our workforce and regulation,” Shipp said.
From a transmission perspective, Jackie Bridge, Executive General Manager at Powerlink Queensland, shared that increasing demand will require a combination of new infrastructure and smarter utilisation of existing assets.
“Growing demand means we must increase network capacity, but not just by building more poles and wires. We need to use more of what we’ve got, build new assets in smarter locations, and unlock flexibility from all users to keep costs down for customers,” Bridge said.
Highlighted by Jason Krstanoski, Executive Manager of Network at Transgrid, maintaining grid strength as coal-fired generation exits was another recurring theme.
“As we transition away from coal, maintaining system strength is non-negotiable. The answer is a portfolio approach – synchronous condensers, batteries, and new market arrangements working together – to keep the power system strong, secure and affordable,” Krstanoski said.
Data centres drive new demand
The growing impact of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure was another major focus of discussions at Australian Energy Week.
Redman shared that Transgrid is already seeing unprecedented growth in connection applications from large energy users.
“This growth in connection application includes interest equivalent to twice New South Wales’ current demand within a 12-kilometre radius of a single Western Sydney substation,” Redman said.
According to Redman, data centre demand across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory could increase from three terawatt-hours to 27 terawatt-hours in less than a decade.
“Done well, new demand can be good for consumers because it spreads fixed costs across a larger base and drives down average network costs for everyone,” Redman said.
Industry speakers argued data centres should be viewed as active participants in the electricity system rather than simply large consumers of energy.
“Data centres can actually lower power bills by soaking up surplus solar and lifting grid utilisation. But to realise that potential we need faster, more flexible regulatory and network processes, and more innovative, energy-dense storage solutions,” said Shayne Kumar, Head of Energy at NEXTDC.
NEXTDC is an Australian company that develops and operates data centres that provide digital infrastructure for businesses and cloud providers.
Digitalisation at the grid edge
For gold sponsor of Australian Energy Week, Kimbal, the current energy transition is also creating opportunities to rethink the role of metering infrastructure.
Traditionally, electricity meters have been used to measure and record energy consumption for billing purposes. However, as rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources become increasingly common, advanced metering infrastructure is evolving into a critical interface between consumers and the grid.
Kimbal believes intelligent, software-enabled meters can help utilities gain greater visibility of energy flows, support demand flexibility, improve network planning and enable consumers to participate more actively in the energy system.
Ayush Sinhal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Kimbal, shared that the company sees significant opportunities to unlock greater value from energy data.
“A meter is not just something that measures data; it’s about what we do with that data and what kinds of decisions it can drive,” Sinhal said.
“What we’re doing is not just introducing hardware or software; it’s a platform, an ecosystem that we hope will add to the innovation velocity in driving the energy transition in Australia.”
Dave Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Kimbal, shared that the company’s vision.
“We want to transform meters into long-term digital platforms capable of supporting future applications throughout their operating life. We’re looking to do something similar to what Android did to smartphones – watch this space,” Lee said.
Other gold sponsors of Australian Energy Week include: Hyosung Heavy Industries Corporation, Salesforce, IBM and Lumea (Transgrid’s commercial infrastructure arm).
Other event industry partners include: Transgrid (Platinum Sponsor), McKinsey & Company (Knowledge Partner), capSpire (Industry Dinner Sponsor) and Australian Energy Council.
