Load Advisor — Saturday 2 May 2026

NSW1 sits at $57.51/MWh and QLD1 at $51.20/MWh as the current half-hour settles, while VIC1 (-$2.26/MWh) and SA1 (-$2.23/MWh) are already in negative territory. TAS1 is elevated at $71.95/MWh and will remain so throughout the forecast horizon, making it the region to avoid for load scheduling today. The overnight window from 08:00–13:30 AEST (22:00–03:30 UTC) is where the deepest value sits across the interconnected mainland regions, with NSW1 predispatch showing prices in the range of -$3 to -$25/MWh, QLD1 ranging from -$2 to -$29/MWh, VIC1 from -$5 to -$21/MWh, and SA1 from -$10 to -$20/MWh. Peak savings in NSW1 will reach around $90/MWh versus current spot. QLD1's best windows forecast prices down to -$29/MWh around 13:00 AEST (03:00 UTC), representing savings exceeding $110/MWh against that region's current spot — the strongest single window on the NEM today.

The sharpest price relief across all mainland regions concentrates in two sub-windows: 08:30–09:30 AEST (roughly -$6 to -$10/MWh across NSW1, VIC1, SA1, QLD1) and a deeper trough from 11:00–14:30 AEST where negative prices between -$20 and -$29/MWh emerge in NSW1 and QLD1 as overnight load bottoms out. SA1 shows sustained negativity through to 17:00 AEST given strong wind conditions (33.2 km/h average forecast today), though prices ease back toward -$3/MWh by late afternoon. Loads should be cleared well before 14:30 AEST in QLD1 and NSW1 as predispatch shows prices recovering back above $20/MWh by the 04:30 UTC interval (14:30 AEST), and climbing toward $30/MWh in QLD1 by 15:00 AEST as evening demand builds.

For flexible load scheduling today, the priority recommendation is: execute the bulk of shiftable load — industrial processes, EV charging, hot water, pump-and-store — between 09:30 and 13:30 AEST in NSW1 and QLD1, targeting the -$10 to -$29/MWh predispatch window. VIC1 and SA1 are viable from now through to approximately 15:30 AEST given sustained negative prices, but the depth of discount is shallower than the north. Avoid TAS1 scheduling entirely today; prices are locked in the $72–$85/MWh range with no forecast relief. In all mainland regions, avoid re-energising flexible loads between 17:00 and 20:00 AEST as evening demand recovery will push prices back toward and above current spot levels.