Load Advisor: Saturday 30 May 2026

The strongest load-shifting signal NEM-wide is in NSW1, VIC1, SA1, and QLD1 between 09:00–16:30 AEST (UTC midnight through to 06:30 AEST), where predispatch prices are sitting at or below $0/MWh across all four interconnected regions — with NSW1 forecast to hit as low as −$26/MWh and QLD1 as low as −$25/MWh in the 13:00–14:30 AEST window. VIC1 is currently at $10.50/MWh and SA1 at $10.68/MWh heading into the overnight period, both markedly below their respective summer-peak norms. The overnight trough deepens progressively: NSW1 and VIC1 will move negative from around 10:00–11:00 AEST and remain sub-zero or near-zero through to roughly 16:00 AEST, with the single deepest interval in NSW1 at −$26.28/MWh around 13:00 AEST and VIC1 at −$25.83/MWh at the 13:30 AEST mark. SA1 will reach its deepest negative at −$5.12/MWh around 14:00 AEST, QLD1 at −$25.01/MWh around 13:30 AEST. These windows represent "excellent" quality by all forecast metrics.

The clear zones to avoid are the morning ramp-up and the early evening peak. NSW1 prices will lift sharply from roughly $35–$40/MWh from 16:30 AEST as the overnight shoulder dissipates, and QLD1 will spike back to $39–$41/MWh at the same transition. TAS1 is the outlier across the whole briefing period: prices are pinned at $73–$87/MWh throughout the entire window, well above all mainland regions, with no negative-price relief forecast. Tasmanian flexible loads should not be scheduled into this window without a specific arbitrage or network-constraints rationale — the spread versus mainland regions is substantial and persistent.

**The concrete recommendation:** For mainland NEM participants, schedule all deferrable loads — thermal processes, EV fleet charging, water pumping, battery charging, desalination, and any demand-response positions — to execute between 10:30 and 15:30 AEST today. The tightest pricing corridor across NSW1, VIC1, and QLD1 simultaneously occurs 12:30–14:30 AEST, where negative prices are forecast across three of the four mainland regions concurrently; this is the optimal two-hour window for maximum financial exposure to cheap energy. Load that can flex into this period will avoid the $35–$72/MWh shoulder prices that currently prevail and will face on the other side of the trough from approximately 16:30 AEST onward. WA1 sits at $150.40/MWh currently — SWIS operates independently and there are no load-shifting opportunities on offer there today.