The National Electricity Market is not “dying” following Victoria’s shock move to revive a government-owned electricity retailer, but it is facing an unprecedented scale of disruption, former Energy Security Board chairwoman Kerry Schott says.

With doubts about whether state and federal ministers can land the capacity mechanism, Australian Energy Market Operator chief executive Daniel Westerman said Victoria’s announcement reflected the urgent task to deliver a nine-fold increase in grid-scale wind and firming capacity on the pathway to net zero by 2050.