Load Advisor: Thursday 9 April 2026

VIC1 and SA1 are the standout shift targets today, with predispatch showing negative prices right now — VIC1 at -$3.09/MWh and SA1 at -$3.00/MWh — meaning load consumption in those regions earns revenue rather than incurring cost. Both regions will sustain negative or near-zero pricing through to approximately 09:00 AEST, with the deepest negative windows forecast between 02:30–05:00 AEST (UTC+11 equivalent windows 13:30–16:00 UTC), where VIC1 touches -$52/MWh and SA1 reaches -$59/MWh. Operators with flexible load in Victoria or South Australia should maximise consumption now and hold that position through the early-morning trough.

NSW1 sits at $76.99/MWh currently with QLD1 at $79.58/MWh. Both regions show a material price step-down through the overnight period: NSW1 predispatch falls to $11–22/MWh between 11:30 AEST tonight and 13:30 AEST tomorrow (00:30–02:30 UTC+11), with isolated intervals touching $0.88/MWh. QLD1 follows a similar trajectory, dropping to $0–12/MWh from roughly 11:00 AEST tonight through 13:00 AEST. These are the prime NSW and QLD shift windows — defer deferrable loads now and reschedule consumption into those overnight slots. TAS1 remains a flat-rate market at ~$50/MWh throughout the forecast horizon, with isolated sub-$25/MWh intervals appearing from 12:30 AEST tonight; no urgent action required in Tasmania but modest savings are achievable by targeting those lower bands.

The critical avoid window is 18:30–21:00 AEST across NSW and QLD, where predispatch prices will rise sharply to $105–250/MWh. NSW forecasts show intervals reaching $236/MWh at 18:30 AEST and QLD hits $253/MWh at 19:30 AEST — the classic autumn evening peak as solar output falls and residential demand lifts. Any load that can be shed or shifted away from the 18:30–20:30 AEST window will see the largest cost avoidance on today's curve.

**Recommended schedule:** VIC and SA flexible loads — run at maximum now through 09:00 AEST, exploiting negative price conditions. NSW and QLD flexible loads — curtail or reduce from 18:00 AEST, hold off until after 22:00 AEST, then schedule the bulk of shiftable consumption into the 23:00–02:30 AEST window where prices bottom out at $0–22/MWh. Reschedule any remaining discretionary load in NSW/QLD before 06:00 AEST to avoid the morning ramp, which will push prices back above $80/MWh from approximately 16:30 AEST (06:30 UTC).