Load Advisor — Sunday 3 May 2026

VIC and SA are the standout load-shifting destinations right now, with both regions clearing at negative prices — VIC at -$2.00/MWh and SA at -$1.88/MWh — meaning flexible loads in those markets are being paid to consume. NSW sits at $64.89/MWh and QLD at $59.72/MWh, confirming the overnight valley will represent a substantial cost wedge versus the current dispatch price.

The deepest savings windows across the NEM will arrive in the early hours of Monday morning (AEST). For NSW, predispatch shows prices collapsing from the current $64.89/MWh to a trough of $0.92–$6.67/MWh between 10:30 AEST and 12:30 AEST, with the single-interval low of $0.92/MWh forecast across the 11:30–12:30 AEST band — a saving of over $117/MWh against the reference price. QLD follows a similar pattern, with prices forecast to touch zero or negative by 10:00–12:00 AEST before recovering toward $50/MWh as the morning demand ramp begins around 14:30 AEST. For VIC, prices are forecast to stay firmly negative through until around 15:00 AEST, reaching a trough near -$13.84/MWh at 13:00 AEST. SA mirrors VIC, with predispatch showing prices in the -$12 to -$13.61/MWh range during the 12:00–14:00 AEST window, the deepest opportunity on the mainland today.

Operators should schedule avoidable load away from the 07:00–09:30 AEST window in all regions, where the morning demand ramp will push NSW prices back into the $56–$60/MWh range and QLD toward $50–$52/MWh. TAS is a different case entirely: prices remain stubbornly elevated at $83–$88/MWh across the entire predispatch horizon and present no viable shifting window today — TAS flexible loads should be deferred or managed via Basslink exposure rather than local price arbitrage.

**Concrete recommendation:** Schedule all deferrable loads — industrial process heating, EV fleet charging, cold storage, water heating — to execute between 10:00 AEST and 13:00 AEST. NSW operators capture the deepest price drop from their current $64.89/MWh, with forecast prices below $5/MWh in that band. VIC and SA operators running loads that are currently consuming at negative prices should maintain or increase consumption now and through until at least 15:00 AEST. QLD operators should target the 10:00–12:30 AEST window where prices are forecast sub-$3/MWh. Lock in load schedules before 09:00 AEST to capture the predispatch signal before morning ramp uncertainty increases.