Load Advisor: Monday 18 May 2026

The strongest load-shifting opportunity across the NEM today sits in Victoria between 10:00 AEST and 16:30 AEST (UTC+10), where predispatch prices are forecast to bottom out at under $10/MWh — with multiple intervals printing at or near the market floor of $0–$9/MWh. This is the deepest trough across all five regions and represents savings well in excess of $260/MWh against VIC1's current spot of $83.44/MWh. NSW1 will offer its best window from roughly 10:30 to 16:00 AEST, with prices forecast to fall into the $35–$72/MWh range — a material discount against today's $98.14/MWh. SA1 will similarly soften through the middle of the day, with intervals dipping below $5/MWh and even into negative territory in the 14:00–15:30 AEST band, reflecting the region's characteristic midday price behaviour. TAS1 is the outlier: prices are expected to ease from the current $96.22/MWh toward the $70–$84/MWh range in overnight and early morning periods, but the region never approaches the sub-$20 lows seen on the mainland — flexible loads in Tasmania face the shallowest savings curve of any interconnected region today.

Queensland is the firm avoid. QLD1 is currently clearing at $100.07/MWh and predispatch windows show prices remaining stubbornly anchored between $65 and $115/MWh throughout the day, with the morning peak window (16:30–17:30 AEST, or 06:30–07:30 UTC) forecast to push back above $110/MWh. There is no meaningful low-price trough forecast for QLD1 today — the flattest periods are in the 11:00–14:00 AEST range where prices may ease to around $65–$70/MWh, but that is still more than double what VIC1 and SA1 will be offering simultaneously. Industrial and commercial loads in Queensland should defer any flexible consumption to tonight if at all possible, or consider whether interconnector-exposed signals apply to their tariff structure.

For schedulable loads across NSW1, VIC1, and SA1, the priority window is 11:00–16:30 AEST today. VIC1 operators should target the 12:00–15:30 AEST band specifically, where multiple consecutive intervals are forecast below $10/MWh — EV charging, thermal pre-conditioning, water heating, battery charging, and process loads with thermal inertia are all candidates. NSW1 flexible loads should target 12:00–15:00 AEST for the deepest discounts, noting that prices begin recovering toward $79–$85/MWh from around 16:00 AEST as the evening demand ramp approaches. SA1 presents a narrower but equally sharp opportunity in the 14:00–15:30 AEST window where negative pricing is forecast in some intervals — any load that can absorb consumption during that band will effectively be paid to run. All regions should plan to return flexible loads to normal or reduced operating mode before 17:30 AEST, when evening heating demand and reduced solar push prices upward across NSW1, VIC1, and SA1. QLD1 morning peak exposure will materialise from 16:30 AEST; operators with NEM-wide portfolios should