The WEM in WA1 experienced a sharp price spike to $354.66/MWh during the 12:10 UTC interval on 13 June 2026, representing a doubling of prices within five minutes from the $171.97/MWh level observed at 12:05 UTC. The spike was isolated to a single trading interval before prices stabilised.
Multiple binding constraints with low marginal values (ranging from $2.97 to $3.00/MWh) were active during the spike, suggesting the price driver was not a single dominant constraint but rather a convergence of several network or operational limits simultaneously. The generation mix at the time showed substantial coal (1150 MW), gas (795 MW combined CCGT and OCGT), and battery (524 MW) supply, indicating the spike occurred despite material dispatchable capacity being online, which points to localised network congestion or reserve requirement tightness rather than a system-wide shortage.
Causal analysis generated by gridIQ's synthesis model from live AEMO market data: dispatch prices, generation mix, interconnector flows and market notices in the interval surrounding the event.