Load Advisor: Tuesday 19 May 2026

NSW, VIC, SA and QLD are all showing deep overnight price troughs that make today an exceptional load-shifting opportunity across the NEM. Current spot prices sit at $67/MWh in NSW, $56/MWh in VIC, $61/MWh in SA and $104/MWh in QLD — all of which will fall sharply within the next two to four hours as overnight demand softens.

The prime load-shifting window across NSW, VIC and SA will be 09:00–13:30 AEST (midnight to 03:30 UTC), where predispatch prices are forecast to go flat or negative — NSW touching as low as −$2/MWh, VIC dipping to −$2/MWh, and SA reaching −$1.95/MWh. For QLD, the opportunity is even more pronounced: prices are already negative across most of the overnight predispatch stack, with intervals showing −$25/MWh to −$41/MWh between 01:00 and 05:30 AEST (13:00–19:30 UTC). Any flexible load in QLD that can be scheduled from midnight through to approximately 05:30 AEST will capture the deepest savings on the NEM today. SA is worth particular attention in the 01:00–04:00 AEST window where prices sit at or near zero, but operators should note a sharp rebound is forecast above $70/MWh by 16:30 AEST — avoid that shoulder. Tasmania sits elevated at $96/MWh through the overnight period and does not offer the same trough; TAS flexible loads should defer to late morning when prices ease slightly toward the $75–$80/MWh range between 13:00–14:00 AEST.

The windows to actively avoid across all mainland regions are the current early-evening period (now, ~06:25 AEST) and the approaching morning shoulder ramp from approximately 16:00 AEST onward, where NSW and QLD predispatch prices return to $40–$65/MWh and SA spikes back above $70/MWh. SA shows a particularly sharp intraday swing — a saving of over $1,000/MWh is indicated in the overnight trough relative to the late-afternoon peak, making SA the standout opportunity for any demand that can be reliably deferred.

Concrete recommendation: schedule all deferrable load — industrial, HVAC pre-conditioning, EV charging, water heating and battery charging — to commence no later than 09:00 AEST and run through to 13:30 AEST for NSW, VIC and SA. For QLD, target the 23:00–05:30 AEST window where negative prices prevail across the predispatch horizon. Avoid committing new load after 15:30 AEST in any region until prices are reassessed for the evening peak.