Load Advisor: Wednesday 20 May 2026

NEM-wide spot prices are elevated across all mainland regions at the 06:25 AEST mark, with NSW1 leading at $140.41/MWh, SA1 at $138/MWh, QLD1 at $131.67/MWh, VIC1 at $128.72/MWh, and TAS1 at $102.20/MWh. These levels reflect typical winter morning demand with heating loads active across all southern regions — VIC1 sits at 9.8°C with a heating demand index of 8.2, SA1 at 9.3°C with 8.7, and TAS1 at 6.5°C with 11.5. QLD1 currently has zero cloud cover and a projected daily solar potential of 24.9, meaning daytime prices there will soften materially once generation ramps from around 08:00 AEST.

The most compelling load-shifting windows across the NEM are concentrated between 08:30 and 15:30 AEST today. NSW1 predispatch shows prices collapsing to the $23–$36/MWh range from 08:30 AEST, with isolated intervals touching $2.28/MWh around 13:00 AEST — a saving of over $440/MWh against current spot. QLD1 is the standout: predispatch prices are forecast to go negative from approximately 08:30 through to 16:30 AEST, touching -$35/MWh around 13:00 AEST, with sustained blocks of -$25/MWh across the 11:00–15:00 AEST window. This reflects Queensland's high solar potential today (24.9 average) under near-cloudless skies. SA1 also shows a meaningful trough, with prices dropping to the $22–$36/MWh range between 09:30 and 14:00 AEST as solar potential reaches 15.3 for the day. VIC1 is the softest opportunity on the mainland, with predispatch troughing around $19–$26/MWh in the 07:00–09:00 AEST window before settling in the $33–$36/MWh range through midday; cloud cover at 58% limits solar contribution and keeps prices modestly firmer than QLD and NSW. TAS1 prices remain relatively sticky in the $87–$100/MWh band throughout the daytime, consistent with its hydro-dominated dispatch profile — load shifting offers limited benefit there on a price basis.

Avoid morning and evening peaks. Predispatch across all regions shows prices returning to the $100–$130/MWh range from around 16:30–17:00 AEST onward as solar drops off and heating demand lifts into the evening. VIC1 and SA1 predispatch both show prices climbing back above $110/MWh at the 16:30–17:00 AEST mark. QLD1 flips from negative or near-zero prices back to $54/MWh by 16:30 AEST. NSW1 similarly firms into the high $60–$80/MWh range from 14:30 AEST as the overnight low-price window closes.

**Concrete recommendation:** Schedule all flexible loads — EV charging, battery charging, water heating, process loads, and HVAC pre-conditioning — into the