SA1 experienced very high renewable penetration of 97.8% during the 16:05–16:30 settlement period on 8 June 2026, driven predominantly by wind generation of 1,858 MW. Regional electricity prices fell to near-zero or negative levels (ranging from −$0.04 to $0.01/MWh), reflecting the substantial surplus of low-marginal-cost renewable energy.
The extreme renewable penetration and depressed pricing were driven by strong wind output supplying the majority of regional demand with minimal gas generation required (42.69 MW CCGT and 0.11 MW OCGT). The binding constraint F_T+RREG_0050, with marginal values of $3.81–$3.82/MWh, indicates an active physical or technical limitation that prevented further price suppression despite the large renewable surplus, suggesting the pricing floor was set by constraint scarcity value rather than energy cost.
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.