Load Advisor: Friday 15 May 2026

Victoria is the standout opportunity today, with prices at -$0.10/MWh or lower right now and predispatch forecasting negative-to-near-zero prices persisting through to around 07:30 AEST. SA follows close behind, with prices forecast to reach -$2/MWh or below from 11:00 AEST through to approximately 14:30 AEST — a sustained trough that makes it the best mid-morning shifting window on the NEM. NSW prices will ease from the current $81.53/MWh down into the $23–$36/MWh range between 08:30 and 12:30 AEST, with the deepest troughs clustering around 08:30–09:30 AEST at approximately $22–$24/MWh. Queensland is structurally more expensive today — predispatch has prices in the $30–$40/MWh band through the overnight period before nudging back above $50/MWh by 16:30 AEST, so shifting loads to the 07:00–13:00 AEST window captures the relative best of what QLD offers. Tasmania sits at $104.50/MWh now and predispatch shows prices staying in the $83–$96/MWh band through the day — there are no compelling trough windows and load shifting should be treated as low priority in TAS today.

The clearest load-shifting opportunities are as follows. Victorian C&I and flexible residential loads should be scheduled immediately and held through to 07:30 AEST, exploiting the negative price environment. SA flexible loads — including thermal storage, EV charging, and water heating — should be targeted into the 11:00–14:30 AEST window when prices will drop to around -$2/MWh. NSW operators should target the 08:30–11:00 AEST window when predispatch prices bottom out near $23/MWh before gradually rising back toward $36–$38/MWh into the afternoon. QLD participants should load-shift into 07:00–12:00 AEST, avoiding the 16:30–19:00 AEST window when prices are forecast to climb back above $50–$80/MWh as the evening ramp begins.

Peaks to avoid are concentrated in the 06:00–08:00 AEST morning shoulder in NSW (prices forecast to hold at $56/MWh), QLD from 16:00 AEST onward (back above $80/MWh), and SA from 16:00 AEST when predispatch prices return to the $50–$58/MWh range. TAS should be avoided for flexible scheduling throughout the day given there is no meaningful price relief in any forecast interval. WA (SWIS) is showing $229.72/MWh at last read and is outside NEM interconnection, so no cross-region arb applies, but WA-based flexible loads should defer any schedulable consumption until the overnight period.

The single best NEM-wide scheduling recommendation for today: prioritise Victoria now through 07:30 AEST, then transition flexible SA loads into the 11:00–14:30 AEST window, and schedule any deferred NSW load into 08:30–10:30 AEST. Operators with assets across multiple regions should sequence accordingly — Victoria first, NSW mid-morning, SA midday.