How has Victoria’s energy grid changed in the last 20 years?
Renewable Energy Alliance Director Andrew Bray explains how coal went from being the foundation of Victoria's power system to " its greatest threat to reliability".
Jacob Wallace
July 18, 2025
All of Gippsland’s coal fired power stations are between 30 and 40 years old. As Yallourn, Loy Yang and Hazelwood have aged and been retired over the years, depending on them for the bulk of Victoria’s energy need has become more precarious.
That’s according to Renewable Energy Alliance Director Andrew Bray, whose not-for-profit organisation helps regional and rural communities get the most out of the shift to renewable energy.
The Gippsland Monitor spoke to Bray about the history of coal fired power in Victoria and how it’s changed over time. Bray explained that coal fired power stations used to be “really valuable for Victoria and Australia for many years because they've had a fairly reliable source of power”.
Bray said that these power stations have always been inflexible, “particularly the ones that're coming to the end of their life now”. Which means a lot of power was lost during periods when less energy was needed.
“ Huge amounts of coal were burnt,” he said. “That power had nowhere to go because there was no demand, so it was just wasted and sent up as heat in the Latrobe Valley.”
If you’d like to watch a full interview with Bray about how Victoria’s energy grid has changed over time, you can watch it below.
