Next forecast interval: $-6.50/MWh at
QLD1 · NEM, 5-min dispatch intervals
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Queensland price forecasts reflect a generation fleet that combines large black coal baseload with rapidly expanding solar capacity. The pre-dispatch forecast curve shows a distinctive daily pattern: elevated prices overnight and in the early morning when coal plants supply the majority of demand, falling to low or negative prices during the midday solar peak, then rising again through the afternoon and evening.
The state's coal generators (Gladstone, Callide, Stanwell and others) provide the bulk of overnight generation, and their bid behaviour significantly influences forecast prices during non-solar hours. Outages at major coal plants can push overnight forecast prices to much higher levels than normal.
Queensland's interconnection to New South Wales via QNI means that forecast prices are influenced by conditions in both regions. During periods of high Queensland solar output, exports to NSW can keep prices moderate, while constraints on QNI during peak demand can cause price separation between the two regions.
See current QLD spot prices for live dispatch context, or read the wholesale electricity guide for background on how AEMO pre-dispatch forecasts are constructed.
AEMO publishes pre-dispatch price forecasts for Queensland up to 40 hours ahead, refreshed every 30 minutes. gridIQ shows a 24-hour forecast chart above.
Queensland’s high rooftop and utility-scale solar penetration pushes forecast prices toward zero or negative during the midday solar peak, with prices rising again through the afternoon and evening.
Pre-dispatch forecasts are AEMO’s best estimate given current bids and forecast demand, but they are not binding and can shift materially as coal plant outages, solar forecasts and QNI interconnector flows are updated.
Outages at major coal generators (Gladstone, Callide, Stanwell) tend to push overnight forecast prices higher, since coal supplies the bulk of demand once solar output drops to zero.