AEMO On Air

What does it take to solve the biggest challenges facing Australia’s energy transition?

In this episode, we sit down with two rising stars from the Zema Energy Studies Scholarship program – Madeleine Neaves and Frederick Madriaga – to explore the research helping shape Australia’s future energy systems.

Madeleine, a Monash University Engineering PhD candidate, is researching how future grids maintain stability and inertia in power systems increasingly powered by inverter-based technologies like batteries and renewables. Frederick is developing AI-driven approaches to improve resilience, visibility and decision-making across increasingly decentralised and digital electricity networks.

Delivered in partnership between the AEMO and Monash University, the Zema Energy Studies Scholarship program honours AEMO’s inaugural CEO, the late Matt Zema, and supports emerging researchers working on the future of Australia’s energy systems.

This year marks seven years since the scholarship was established, with 10 scholars currently undertaking PhDs and the program expected to celebrate its first graduates in 2026.

Learn more about the Zema Energy Studies Scholarship: www.aemo.com.au/about/zema-energy-studies-scholarship

Information about applications to the Zema Energy Studies Scholarship: www.monash.edu/energy-institute/students/scholarships/zema-energy-studies-scholarship 

 
Interviewer: Catie Low
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Batteries are now playing a central role in Australia’s electricity system, and the latest data shows just how quickly that shift is happening.
In this episode of AEMO On Air, Kerry Galloway, AEMO’s Manager of Market Insights unpacks the key details of the Q1 2026 Quarterly Energy Dynamics (QED) report.
In the National Electricity Market (NEM), more than 4,400 MW of new battery capacity has been added in the past year, which has helped shift three times the volume of renewable energy from daytime into the evening peak, competing against coal and gas. Batteries set prices for around a third of the times and contributed to a 12% year-on-year drop in wholesale electricity prices.
The episode also explores the quarter’s record renewable output, with renewables supplying 46.5% of NEM generation, while emerging demand continues to build with 11 large-scale data centre projects (5.4 GW) progressing through connections.
Explore the full QED for more insights: https://bit.ly/4umi74K
Interviewer: Catie Low
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The energy transition is global and so are the challenges.
Across the world, system operators are grappling with the same fundamental shifts, rapid growth in renewables, decentralised generation and increasingly complex system dynamics.
In our latest AEMO On Air episode, we’re joined by Luke Robinson, Group Manager – System Modelling to explore how global collaboration is helping system operators navigate one of the most complex transformations in modern energy systems.
As a founding member of the International System Operators Network (ISON), AEMO is working alongside peers across the US and Europe to tackle shared challenges, from integrating high levels of inverter-based resources to AI and data centres and rethinking the control room of the future.
And while we are helping solve global issues, the world is watching Australia and what we are doing, particularly our leadership in rooftop solar and consumer energy resources.
Find out more about ISON and AEMO here: www.aemo.com.au/initiatives/major-programs/international-system-operator-collaboration
Read more about ISON: www.isonetwork.org/
Interviewer: Catie Low
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AEMO has released our 2026 Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO) – an annual outlook examining gas demand and supply across Australia’s east coast over the next 20-plus years.
In this episode of AEMO On Air, we chat with Alice McLaren, AEMO’s Manager of Market Operability in System Design, to break down what the latest analysis means for industry, governments and consumers.
As Alice explains: “We’re seeing an improvement in our forecast compared to last year… but longer term, those risks remain and point to the need for new investment in supply, storage and infrastructure…. We still see gas as having a critical role to play… particularly as a backup where renewable generation is less available.”
Key takeaways:
Near-term outlook improving
The 2026 GSOO shows a more positive short-term outlook for southern states, driven by new infrastructure commitments, increased peak supply expectations, and reduced gas demand from electrification and changes in consumption.

Longer-term risks remain
From around 2030, the report identifies increasing risks of supply gaps across most weather scenarios – reinforcing the need for timely investment in new gas supply, storage and pipelines.
Declining southern production is a key driver
A major factor is the continued decline of legacy gas fields, particularly in Victoria, with significant implications for how the southern market is supplied in future.
Read the GSOO here: https://bit.ly/3PyFSYe
VGPR: https://bit.ly/4v6VEdk
GSOO explainer: https://bit.ly/4bCPZnG
Media release: https://bit.ly/4uRpO3T
Interviewer: Catie Low
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Following the release of AEMO’s Transition Plan for System Security (TPSS) in December 2025, this episode explores what it takes to keep Australia’s power system secure as the energy transition accelerates. 
In the third and final instalment in our system security series, Dr Niraj (Nij) Lal talks to Lars Narushevich, Specialist Engineer in System Security Planning at AEMO, to break down the fundamentals of system security and how the industry is working with AEMO to keep the power system secure.
NIj and Lars discuss what system security means in the National Electricity Market (NEM) and why it’s a shared responsibility, how AEMO sets system security requirements 3-10 years ahead through the planning process, the role of system strength and inertia in a secure power system, and how AEMO works with transmission network service providers to identify gaps and signal future needs.
Interviewer: Dr Niraj (Nij) Lal
Download the 2025 TPSS here: https://bit.ly/3XusYeC
Catch up on the previous system security episodes...
Episode 1: https://bit.ly/43tbEtT
Episode 2: https://bit.ly/4uKaXIF
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