Load Advisor — Tuesday 28 April 2026

Spot prices across the NEM are currently sitting in the $85–$99/MWh range, with NSW1 at $98.61/MWh, TAS1 at $97.07/MWh, SA1 at $96.13/MWh, VIC1 at $92.36/MWh, and QLD1 at $84.73/MWh. These are the reference prices to beat — and predispatch data shows dramatically lower prices are coming across all interconnected regions from 08:30 AEST tonight.

The deepest and most sustained low-price window will run from approximately 08:30 AEST tonight through to 15:00 AEST tomorrow morning across NSW1, VIC1, SA1, and QLD1. NSW1 prices will fall to near-zero or negative territory between $-4.12/MWh and $5.01/MWh in the 10:00–14:30 AEST window, with the sharpest discount appearing around 14:00–14:30 AEST (as low as $-4.12/MWh). VIC1 tracks similarly, reaching $-4.14/MWh around the same period. QLD1 offers sustained negative prices from around 09:00 AEST through 15:00 AEST, dipping as low as $-10.00/MWh at approximately 11:30 AEST — making it the standout region for load absorption tonight. SA1 goes negative from 10:30 AEST, reaching $-5.67/MWh in the 13:30 AEST window. TAS1 is the outlier: prices remain anchored in the $71–$99/MWh band throughout and offer no equivalent low-price opportunity, so load shifting from TAS1 should not be prioritised.

Prices will rise sharply after 16:30 AEST tomorrow morning as morning demand ramps. SA1 shows the clearest morning peak risk, with predispatch prices climbing from ~$40/MWh at 16:30 AEST to over $76/MWh by 17:00 AEST. NSW1 and VIC1 also firm above $35–$40/MWh from 16:30 AEST. QLD1 morning prices rebound to the mid-$80s/MWh range. Operators with flexible industrial, HVAC, EV charging, or battery charging loads should avoid scheduling during the 07:00–09:00 AEST and 16:30–18:30 AEST windows in all regions.

The concrete recommendation: schedule all deferrable load in QLD1, NSW1, VIC1, and SA1 to run between 09:30 AEST tonight and 14:30 AEST tomorrow morning, with QLD1 offering the largest price discount (up to $10.00/MWh below zero). Batteries across NSW1 and VIC1 should target charging in the 12:00–14:00 AEST window when prices approach or breach zero most consistently. TAS1 operators have no comparable low-price window and should maintain normal load scheduling.