Investigations have been launched after Victoria's wholesale electricity market was suspended due to a failure of the critical power market monitoring system, SCADA. 

Authorities are looking to determine the cause of the disruption, and AusNet (the high-voltage grid owner responsible for SCADA) has confirmed that there was "no reason" to believe that a cyber attack caused the failure. 

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) reported that there was no impact on the state's power supply or the National Electricity Market. Normal electricity dispatch operations resumed a day after the SCADA system was progressively restored.

SCADA systems are critical components used by grid operators to remotely secure data and control power systems from a remote location. Experts in the energy sector are discussing the possibility of data overload as a potential cause for the incidents in NSW and Victoria. However, concerns have been raised over the systems' vulnerability to potential cyberattacks, which could cause disruptions to energy supplies.

Josh Stabler, managing director of adviser Energy Edge, expressed concern about the recent incidents, stating that; “For 25 years, we haven't seen these events, and now there are two of these events in a month”.

He also noted that AEMO had reported a “severe” space weather watch two hours before the SCADA issue in Victoria, but confirmed that the disruption was not related to solar activity.

Electricity market watcher Paul McArdle suggested that the cause of the SCADA disruption in Victoria could be software-related. He noted that eight out of 10 coal power units were running just before the incident, and production at solar farms was strong for the late afternoon, with little wind power generation across the region. 

AusNet, which is owned by Canadian infrastructure giant Brookfield, has confirmed that it is investigating the cause of the disruption. 

A spokesperson stated that the company is “working diligently to ensure the safety and reliability of our network”, and that there was no risk to the security of supply or interruption to the state's power.