Commodity Demand — SA1: Monday 20 April 2026

South Australia's spot price sits at $74.76/MWh with demand at 1,290 MW as of 06:30 AEST, tracking through the early morning climb phase. The current price is well below the elevated levels seen during the evening peak, where demand pushed into the 1,350–1,700 MW range and prices regularly printed between $140/MWh and $302/MWh across multiple intervals. That demand-price relationship is clear in today's data: the morning peak around 18:00–19:30 AEST saw demand reach 1,695 MW with prices holding in the $103–$144/MWh band, while the overnight trough — demand dipping below 580 MW around 14:30 AEST — coincided with prices collapsing to the $49/MWh floor. Price sensitivity to demand changes is moderate at current levels, with each 100 MW increment in load broadly corresponding to a $15–30/MWh step-up once demand clears the 1,300 MW threshold.

The generation mix driving today's pricing is wind-heavy: wind is producing 558 MW and gas CCGT contributing 82 MW, with solar at zero given the pre-dawn timing. This wind-dominated supply profile is compressing prices relative to what equivalent demand would attract mid-morning as solar declines later in the day. The latest carbon intensity reads 0.0632 tCO2/MWh with renewable penetration at 87.1%, consistent with the sustained overnight wind output that has kept prices soft since around 04:00 AEST.

AEMO forecasts for the 07:00 AEST trading period (17:00 UTC) are converging tightly around $65–$71/MWh, signalling the market expects prices to hold in a modest range as demand builds through the morning. The forecast load window data points to prices declining further into the overnight period — intervals from 08:00 AEST onward are forecast with negative to near-zero prices, reflecting anticipated wind surplus against low overnight demand. The demand trajectory for today follows the standard autumn weekday shape: a gradual build through the morning commute toward a midday plateau in the 1,500–1,600 MW range, softening through the afternoon before the evening peak, which is the key price risk period to watch. Based on today's profile, the 17:00–20:00 AEST window — where demand historically reaches 1,600–1,700 MW — carries the most upside price exposure.

Traders should note that AEMO has issued a significant number of Manifestly Incorrect Input review notices across intervals from approximately 00:00 to 06:20 AEST today, with several intervals confirmed unchanged and others still under review. These notices span the low-demand overnight period and are unlikely to materially alter the demand or pricing picture for the coming trading day, but positions settled against those intervals should be treated as subject to potential administrative revision until confirmed.