Energy regulators had their hands full keeping the lights on this week – but the next crisis might not be far off

The energy regulator was forced to again intervene in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia despite earlier saying that supplies over the weekend seemed to be assured. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

In another guise, a generation ago, this columnist regularly huddled with the US ambassador to Mongolia, watching as that country’s main power plant came close to running out of coal.

It was an outcome that would have been catastrophic as the plant also provided heat and kept the drinking water flowing for the million or so residents of the capital, Ulaanbaatar.