Load Advisor

NSW1 prices are currently at $100.61/MWh with the deepest overnight trough arriving from 08:00 AEST (22:00 UTC) through to 14:30 AEST, when prices will collapse to near-zero and frequently negative territory — predispatch shows NSW1 settling between -$3/MWh and +$1/MWh across that six-hour block, representing savings of $195–$200/MWh against current levels. VIC1 follows an identical pattern at slightly deeper negatives, with prices forecast between -$3/MWh and -$9/MWh through the same window. QLD1 and SA1 align with this overnight trough, though QLD1 prices are less negative (near zero to -$3/MWh) while SA1 shows the most dramatic overnight cheapness before surging to $198–$220/MWh after 16:00 AEST (06:00 UTC) as its morning peak hits. TAS1 predispatch data carries "good" quality rather than "excellent" and prices remain tethered near $85–$88/MWh throughout the night with no meaningful trough — load shifting offers limited benefit in Tasmania under today's forecasts.

The clearest price risk for all mainland regions is the morning ramp. NSW1 prices will climb from near-zero to $35–$43/MWh from 16:30 AEST onward, QLD1 hits $33–$36/MWh at 16:30 AEST, and VIC1 reaches $35–$55/MWh at the same time. SA1 is the most extreme: prices will spike to $138–$198/MWh from 16:30 AEST and sustain above $100/MWh well past 17:00 AEST. Any flexible load in SA1 that can be deferred from the 16:00–19:30 AEST window will avoid the highest prices on the NEM today.

The peak savings opportunity is the 10:00–13:00 AEST (00:00–03:00 UTC) window, where NSW1, VIC1, SA1, and QLD1 all show prices clustering between -$9/MWh and +$1/MWh simultaneously — a rare alignment that makes this the preferred execution window for batteries, water heating, pumping, and other deferrable industrial loads across all four regions. The 08:30–10:00 AEST window is also strong but prices are stepping down toward the trough rather than in it. Loads that can be pre-positioned before 08:00 AEST will capture $36–$65/MWh savings versus the current settlement price across the four mainland regions.

Concrete recommendation: schedule all flexible load execution for 10:00–13:30 AEST today. Avoid 16:00–19:00 AEST in all regions, and treat SA1 as a hard no-dispatch zone from 16:30–19:30 AEST where prices will exceed $138/MWh. TAS1 operators have no compelling window today under current predispatch signals.