Load Advisor: Saturday 6 June 2026
Across the NEM, prices are currently elevated in the 87–137 $/MWh range, with SA1 the most expensive at 124 $/MWh, WA1 at 137 $/MWh, and TAS1 the cheapest interconnected region at 87 $/MWh. The predispatch window data signals a sharp and broad overnight price collapse beginning from approximately 08:30 AEST (22:30 UTC) tonight and extending through to around 14:30–15:00 AEST tomorrow morning, making this the primary load-shifting target across NSW, VIC, QLD, and SA.
The deepest value sits in NSW1 and VIC1 between 10:30 AEST and 13:30 AEST tomorrow (00:30–03:30 UTC), where forecast prices fall to $0.91–$11 $/MWh across multiple consecutive intervals — savings of up to $383/MWh against current spot. SA1 follows closely with predispatch prices as low as $1.10 $/MWh in the 13:00–14:00 AEST window, and QLD1 shows near-zero prices between 09:30 and 11:30 AEST (< $1 $/MWh in multiple intervals). TAS1 is the notable exception: prices are forecast to remain anchored in the 70–88 $/MWh band throughout the overnight window with no equivalent trough, reflecting its hydro-dominated dispatch profile and limited interconnector headroom at this time of year. Flexible Tasmanian loads have little to gain from overnight shifting today; the marginal benefit sits at roughly $7–17/MWh compared with $100–120/MWh savings available on the mainland.
Morning ramp risk is clear across all mainland regions. NSW and QLD prices will rebound toward 55–80 $/MWh from approximately 15:30 AEST (05:30 UTC) and climb toward current spot levels by 16:30–17:00 AEST as the morning demand ramp takes hold. SA1 prices are forecast to recover above $100 $/MWh by 16:30 AEST. Any flexible load that cannot be completed before 15:00 AEST should be deferred to the next trough rather than allowed to run into the morning peak.
**Concrete recommendation:** Schedule all deferrable mainland loads — industrial process heating, EV fleet charging, water heating, battery charging, refrigeration pull-down — to commence no earlier than 08:30 AEST and target completion by 14:30 AEST. The optimal concentration window is 10:30–13:30 AEST, where NSW, VIC, QLD, and SA all simultaneously show sub-$12/MWh predispatch prices across sustained multi-interval runs. This represents the single best aligned trough across the eastern NEM today. Avoid the 07:30–08:30 AEST shoulder where prices are still falling, and lock out new load commitments from 15:00 AEST onwards as the morning ramp prices climb sharply.