Load Advisor: Sunday 5 April 2026
NEM-wide prices are well below their current spot levels across all mainland regions this morning, with the overnight predispatch windows showing extraordinary savings opportunities. NSW sits at $65.01/MWh, QLD at $59.14/MWh, VIC at $46.80/MWh, and SA at $49.04/MWh right now. TAS is the outlier at $90.16/MWh and forecasts show no material relief — Tasmanian flexible load operators should avoid shifting into any window covered by this advisory and treat the day as a hold position.
The premium opportunity across NSW, VIC, SA, and QLD is the overnight trough spanning roughly 8:30 PM to 5:00 AM AEST (07:30–16:00 UTC). NSW predispatch prices will fall to as low as $0.88/MWh around the 9:30 PM–10:30 PM AEST window, with sustained sub-$15/MWh conditions from 8:30 PM through to approximately 3:30 AM AEST. VIC is even more aggressive, with prices going negative — down to -$37.26/MWh in some intervals around 2:30–4:30 AM AEST — making it the standout load-shifting destination for large industrial and commercial consumers who can respond to negative prices. SA follows a similar pattern with prices reaching -$76.87/MWh in one interval around 2:30 AM AEST and broadly negative or near-zero from midnight through to 6:30 AM AEST. QLD prices turn negative from 8:00 PM AEST onwards, remaining consistently between -$3/MWh and -$25/MWh through to approximately 5:00 AM AEST before snapping sharply higher to around $31/MWh at 3:30 PM UTC (1:30 PM AEST).
The clear peak-avoidance window is the current 6:30 AM AEST interval, where NSW predispatch shows $53.20/MWh — a sharp step up from overnight lows — and the broader morning ramp from 6:00 AM AEST onward as demand builds. Any flexible load that can be preprogrammed to run between 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM AEST tonight will capture the deepest savings. For VIC and SA operators, the 1:00 AM–3:30 AM AEST window carries the most negative prices and represents the single best load-shifting slot across the NEM today. NSW operators should target 9:00 PM–11:00 PM AEST for the sharpest sub-$5/MWh pricing. QLD flexible demand — water heating, cold storage, EV charging, irrigation — should be scheduled no later than midnight AEST to capture the deepest negative-price intervals before the 5:30 AM AEST price reset.