Energy ministers’ reforms to Australia’s electricity market could be path to a carbon price, experts say

Australia’s energy ministers will agree to add emissions to the national electricity objective at a meeting on Friday. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Australia’s main electricity market will prioritise cutting emissions as part of its objectives for the first time since its creation a quarter of a century ago, a shift that could set up conditions for a carbon price, experts said.

Federal, state and territory energy ministers are scheduled to meet in Canberra on Thursday for a dinner before holding formal talks on Friday. It will be the first gathering since the national electricity market (NEM) was suspended in June after the market operator had to resort to whiteboards and spreadsheets to order generators online.