Australia’s energy transition is happening faster than ever. Coal is on the way out, renewables are rapidly scaling up, and transmission infrastructure is being rebuilt for a two-way, decentralised grid. But for many, the what, why, and how of this transformation still feels unclear.

That’s where the Australian Energy Market Operator’s new Integrated System Plan (ISP) Toolkit comes in. It's a practical, plain-English guide designed to help households, businesses, community groups and decision-makers understand how Australia is planning its energy future.

Published alongside the more technical ISP, this toolkit explains the broader roadmap. It covers where we’re going, how we’ll get there, who’s involved, and what to expect.
 

What Is the ISP Toolkit?

The ISP Toolkit is a companion guide to the Integrated System Plan which is AEMO’s flagship 20-year roadmap for the National Electricity Market (NEM), covering QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, TAS and the ACT.

The Toolkit’s purpose is simple:

• Make Australia’s energy transition easier to understand
• Explain who does what, and how decisions are made
• Build trust, transparency and social licence
• Encourage smarter, more informed engagement

What the Toolkit Offers

The ISP Toolkit breaks down a complex national planning process into something you can actually use:

• Clarity on what AEMO is planning, and why
• Context around the energy transition, like coal retirement, storage growth, and renewable rollout
• Visibility into the transmission and infrastructure projects already underway or coming next
• Transparency on how decisions are modelled, tested, and prioritised
• Insight into how community input, policy signals and consumer behaviour are shaping the system

It’s designed to give stakeholders, from energy users to local councils to industry groups, a baseline understanding of the system transformation underway.

The ISP Toolkit does a solid job of explaining the mechanics behind the plan, and surfaces some eye-opening stats about how fast the energy transition is changing the landscape.

Energy Facts from the Toolkit You’ll Want to Quote

• Electricity demand is about to explode
  Consumption is forecast to almost double by 2050 as we electrify everything from transport to industry.
  
• Solar panels are now more common than backyard pools
  Yes, seriously. Rooftop solar is everywhere, and it’s reshaping how the grid works.
  
• More than 51 GW of new renewables and storage is in the pipeline
  That’s the equivalent of building nearly the entire current NEM all over again, but cleaner, faster, and smarter.
  
• Coal is fading fast
  Once 80% of our energy mix, coal now sits around 55% and dropping. Several plants are scheduled to close by 2035.
  
• 2,500 km of new transmission lines are either being built or upgraded
  That’s like running a high-voltage cable from Melbourne to Darwin, and halfway back again.

What This Means for Your Business

The ISP Toolkit gives you a solid foundational understanding of the energy transition roadmap. It offers a clear view of where Australia’s energy system is heading, what’s being built, when coal is exiting, and how renewables, storage and transmission are expected to evolve. It gives you the context to understand what’s happening, and why.

But translating that into business impact, that’s where Utilizer comes in. We connect the dots between the national energy roadmap and your day-to-day decisions:

• How upcoming infrastructure may affect pricing, availability or contract timing
• What policy signals and emissions targets mean for your procurement strategy
• Where opportunities lie in on-site generation, flexibility, or shifting load

In a shifting market, the Toolkit helps you understand the system. Utilizer helps you navigate it, with advice grounded in data, strategy, and your specific goals.

Whether you're managing energy spend, investing in infrastructure, or simply trying to make sense of a complex landscape, our energy consultants can help you cut through the noise, and act with confidence. Reach out today for a chat.