NEM Overview: Friday 27 March 2026

Tasmania is the price outlier this morning, sitting at $106.72/MWh against a NEM backdrop of $55–$72/MWh across the mainland regions. The Basslink interconnector (T-V-MNSP1) is carrying zero flow at the 06:30 AEST interval, which explains the isolation premium — Tasmania is running entirely off its own hydro (329 MW) and wind (56 MW), delivering 100% renewable generation and near-zero carbon intensity, but that self-sufficiency comes at a cost when the link goes flat. Victoria at $63.84/MWh and NSW at $72.25/MWh sit at the higher end of the mainland range, while Queensland ($55.40/MWh) and SA ($55.83/MWh) are the cheapest despite very different supply profiles. The NSW–QLD interconnector is binding hard at -713.77 MW (at its import limit), with QLD pushing power south — that constraint is actively capping what would otherwise be a tighter NSW price.

NEM-wide renewable penetration sits at just 24%, consistent with this being a pre-dawn interval where solar contributes nothing across all regions. Wind is carrying the renewable load: SA is the standout at 94% renewable penetration with 625 MW of wind against demand of only 1,351 MW and just 42 MW of gas backup. Victoria's wind fleet is generating 826 MW and achieving 31% penetration despite brown coal holding at 1,773 MW baseload. NSW is overwhelmingly coal-dependent at this hour with 4,157 MW of black coal and renewable penetration of only 8% (210 MW wind, 147 MW solar residual). Grid stress scores at 76.2/100, reflecting the binding NSW–QLD interconnector and the flat Basslink.

The significant operational flag this morning is the volume of AEMO market notices under active review. Prices for 14 consecutive 5-minute intervals between 01:35 and 06:25 AEST are subject to review under NER clause 3.9.2B (Manifestly Incorrect Inputs), covering the entire pre-dawn window. Three earlier intervals (02:05, 02:15, 02:25) have been reviewed and confirmed unchanged, but the bulk of this morning's dispatch intervals remain unresolved. Traders with positions exposed to pre-dawn intervals in any region should treat current price records as provisional. The pattern of reviews — running continuously from approximately 01:30 AEST — suggests a systematic input data issue rather than an isolated spike event, though AEMO has not yet indicated which regions or dispatch inputs are affected.

As solar generation comes online through the morning, SA and Victoria are best placed to see prices soften given current wind output levels and low cooling demand across all regions. NSW demand at 7,067 MW with coal doing all the heavy lifting and a binding northern interconnector keeps upside risk in that region. WA sits separately at $91.38/MWh on a stale read; that figure should be treated with caution given the data lag.