WA1 experienced a moderate price spike to $260.44/MWh during the 09:55 trading interval on 8 July 2026, representing a $56.22/MWh jump from the previous interval. Prices had been trending upward across the preceding 25 minutes, rising from approximately $170/MWh to the spike level.
The spike appears driven by a binding constraint with a marginal value of $3,024.63 (constraint_id F_T+RREG_0050), which significantly elevated the shadow price of electricity in the dispatch optimisation. The generation mix at the time included substantial coal (936.77 MW), gas generation (822.82 MW combined OCGT and CCGT), and battery output (654.38 MW), indicating that during morning peak demand the market was heavily reliant on dispatchable resources, with the binding constraint limiting available supply and forcing prices to the spike level.
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.