SYDNEY -- Australia, a major supplier of coal and natural gas to the rest of the world, is itself facing a power crisis as malfunctions and fuel supply problems dog aging coal-fired plants that have taken a back seat to investment in renewable energy.
The shortage has been exacerbated by a wave of demand for heating in June amid a record early-winter cold snap. The Australian Energy Market Operator in mid-June shut down eastern Australia's electricity spot market for the first time since its establishment in 1998, only partly reopening it this Thursday.
