The last seven days of detected price spikes, negative pricing intervals, record renewables and binding grid constraints across the NEM and WEM. 14 July 2026 to 21 July 2026.
Tasmania experienced high renewable penetration of 88.6% on 20 July 2026 at 20:00–20:30 UTC, with hydroelectric generation dominating at approximately 1,200–1,250 MW and supplementary wind output. Regional spot prices ranged between AUD 91–99.64/MWh across the five-minute settlement intervals, showing modest volatility in an otherwise stable evening period.
WA1 experienced a major price spike to $308.95/MWh during the 18:10 interval on 20 July 2026, representing a 30% increase from the previous interval. Prices had been escalating across the preceding five intervals, rising from $171.45/MWh at 17:45, indicating progressively tightening market conditions.
The WEM experienced a moderate price spike in WA1, reaching $257.34/MWh at 09:30 on 20 July 2026, representing a $7.74/MWh increase from the previous interval. Prices had been escalating over the preceding 25 minutes, rising from $166.67/MWh to near $250/MWh before the spike.
Tasmania experienced high renewable penetration of 91.6% on 19 July 2026 during the evening peak, driven primarily by combined hydro generation of approximately 3,317 MW alongside wind contribution of 642 MW. Regional electricity prices rose steadily over the five-minute interval from $55.55/MWh to $69.48/MWh despite the high renewable output.
QLD1 experienced sustained negative pricing reaching −$2.50/MWh across 2 intervals during the early morning of 19 July 2026. The region generated over 5,200 MW from solar and wind sources concurrent with 3,200 MW of black coal generation, creating oversupply conditions during low-demand periods.
Tasmania (TAS1) experienced high renewable penetration of 90.4% during the evening period of 18 July 2026, with hydroelectric generation dominating the mix at approximately 1,063 MW average and wind contributing around 99 MW. Regional reference prices remained relatively stable in the AUD $48–55/MWh range across the seven five-minute intervals, with a minor spike to $54.58/MWh at 20:15 UTC.
South Australia (SA1) experienced high renewable penetration of 85.0% during the evening of 18 July 2026, driven predominantly by wind generation of 1,083 MW. Regional reference prices remained moderate, ranging from $54.02–$60.45/MWh across the six consecutive five-minute settlement periods.
A major binding constraint (N_QPSFB_L_9INV) with an exceptionally high shadow price of $812,000/MWh was active in NSW1 on 18 July 2026 during the 08:15–08:40 settlement period, whilst the regional reference price remained stable around $90.49/MWh. The constraint significantly exceeded the marginal value of other active constraints by several orders of magnitude, indicating severe congestion or operational limitation in the constrained element.
A severe binding constraint (T_BLINK_TV_NGZ) in Tasmania during the early morning of 18 July 2026 produced an exceptionally high shadow price of $8.35 million, indicating significant transmission or operational limitation preventing further dispatch. The constraint binding occurred during a period of moderate demand with hydroelectric generation contributing approximately 990 MW and prices fluctuating between $30–$58/MWh across the affected settlement periods.
QLD1 experienced sustained negative pricing with a minimum of -$2.5/MWh occurring across 2 intervals on 18 July 2026 around 00:15–00:20. The event occurred during a period of high solar and wind generation (approximately 5,906 MW combined) coupled with substantial coal-fired output (3,268 MW), creating an oversupply condition in the region.
Tasmania achieved high renewable penetration of 85.6% during the evening settlement period of 17 July 2026, with hydro and wind generation totalling approximately 1,235–1,514 MW across the recorded intervals. Prices rose steadily from $90.96/MWh to $99.73/MWh during this period, reflecting tightening supply conditions despite the high renewable output.
The WEM in WA1 experienced a moderate price spike to $252.50/MWh during the 04:10 trading interval on 17 July 2026, representing a sharp 10% increase from the previous interval. Prices had been climbing steadily from $161.75/MWh at 03:45, with the most dramatic jump occurring between 03:55 and 04:00 when prices rose to $229.29/MWh, where they remained elevated for the remainder of the observed period.
TAS1 experienced high renewable penetration of 87.2% during the 20:05–20:30 period on 16 July 2026, with hydro and wind generation totalling approximately 1,600–1,800 MW across six dispatch intervals. Regional reference price (RRP) increased steadily from $88.22/MWh to $105.33/MWh over the same period, suggesting tightening market conditions despite abundant renewable supply.
QLD1 experienced sustained negative pricing across two intervals on 16 July 2026, with the minimum price reaching −$1.92/MWh at 05:10. The event occurred during the early morning period with high solar generation (3,491.6 MW combined) and substantial coal-fired output (4,719.74 MW), creating structural oversupply conditions.
QLD1 experienced sustained negative pricing with a minimum of -$3.5/MWh across 2 intervals during the evening of 15 July 2026. Prices declined from $6.81/MWh to -$3.5/MWh over a seven-interval period, indicating a shift towards oversupply conditions.
Tasmania (TAS1) experienced high renewable penetration of 87.2% during the evening of 15 July 2026, driven by substantial hydro generation (1,185–1,262 MW) and wind output (149–158 MW) alongside gas OCGT capacity. Regional spot prices rose sharply from $21.16/MWh to $107.78/MWh over the 35-minute observation window, despite the high renewable contribution.
Tasmania experienced high renewable penetration at 91.8% during the evening of 14 July 2026, with hydro and wind generation combining to supply approximately 4,031 MW across six settlement periods. Regional reference prices (RRP) ranged from $67.52 to $78.25/MWh during this period, with modest volatility despite the elevated renewable contribution.
Events are detected automatically by gridIQ from AEMO dispatch and constraint data, then enriched with AI-generated causal analysis. For the full searchable archive, see the event history. For deeper context on price spikes and negative pricing, read the negative-price explainer or browse live electricity prices by region.