Load Advisor: Thursday 18 June 2026

SA1 sits at -$0.09/MWh and VIC1 at -$0.10/MWh right now (6:25 AEST), with both regions offering negative or near-zero prices through to at least 07:00 AEST this morning. SA1 is the standout opportunity across the NEM today: predispatch forecasts negative prices at 09:30 AEST (-$1.00/MWh), 10:30 AEST (-$1.05/MWh), and 11:00 AEST (-$2.00/MWh), with the entire overnight-to-dawn window from now through 16:00 AEST sitting below $10/MWh — a sustained run of excellent-rated intervals that represents the strongest load-shifting case on the NEM today. VIC1 mirrors this pattern, with prices forecast at $0.55/MWh at 13:00 AEST and a broad band of $5.08–$10.50/MWh covering 10:00 AEST through to 15:30 AEST, before a sharp step-up to $48.69/MWh at 16:30 AEST signals the evening demand ramp. Any flexible load in SA1 or VIC1 that can be dispatched between now and 15:00 AEST is operating in optimal territory.

NSW1 and QLD1 present a narrower but still material window. NSW1 is currently clearing at $64.89/MWh with demand at 7,924 MW, and prices will remain elevated above $55/MWh through to approximately 08:00 AEST before a brief overnight trough. The cheapest NSW1 intervals are forecast between 10:00–11:30 AEST ($37.89–$42.54/MWh) and again in the 02:00–04:00 AEST range tonight. QLD1 is at $62.94/MWh on 6,545 MW of demand; prices will ease into the $25–$37/MWh range between 10:00 AEST and 14:00 AEST, with the single-best interval at 10:00 AEST ($27.25/MWh). Both states face a firm price floor through morning peak (06:00–09:30 AEST), where forecasts reach $71–$81/MWh — avoid scheduling any deferrable load into that window. TAS1 trades at $29.29/MWh now but faces elevated predispatch prices of $58–$70/MWh through most of the morning and into early afternoon before collapsing sharply: prices will fall to $4.18/MWh at 02:30 AEST tonight, $3.34/MWh at 03:00 AEST, and $2.24/MWh by 04:00 AEST, making the late evening the preferred TAS1 shifting window.

The concrete recommendation: SA1 and VIC1 flexible loads — industrial process heating, battery charging, water heating, and refrigeration pre-cooling — should be scheduled to run continuously from now through 15:00 AEST, capturing up to $82.92/MWh in savings relative to avoided peak exposure. In NSW1 and QLD1, the priority shift window is 10:00–14:00 AEST