What is load shedding?

Load shedding is used as a last resort to balance supply of electricity across the National Electricity Market, in instances when there is not enough power to meet customer demand. A shortage like this can damage equipment within the grid, risking more customers being without power for longer if load shedding isn’t used.

Load shedding occurs under the direction of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) who is responsible for maintaining the reliability and security of the National Electricity Market in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.  

All electricity networks use load shedding, where necessary, to deal with significant imbalances between the available supply and the demand for power.

If load shedding is required, our interactive map will show the location of, and timeframes for, affected customers. 

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Get the facts

If you'd like to learn more about what load shedding is, why it occurs and how it affects you, the AEMO has produced a helpful fact sheet that covers the causes of electricity shortfalls, why load shedding is needed and which areas could be affected. 

Download the fact sheet

Prepare your Power Outage Plan

Make sure you’re ready for any power interruption by preparing your Power Outage Plan.

Stay informed about planned maintenance

We’ll send you SMS updates about any planned maintenance works affecting your area. For real-time status updates, visit our outage map to see the latest information.