Load Advisor: Friday 19 June 2026

Across the NEM, predispatch forecasts point to a clear overnight trough followed by a sustained daytime price rise — the pattern is consistent across all mainland regions. Queensland presents the strongest savings opportunity on the NEM today: prices are forecast to fall to $43–$47/MWh between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM AEST (the 01:00–07:00 UTC window), saving up to $64/MWh against daytime peaks. NSW follows closely, with a trough of $53–$58/MWh from 1:00 AM to 5:30 AM AEST, saving around $54–$58/MWh versus the mid-morning peak. Victoria's sweet spot runs 1:00 AM–6:00 AM AEST at $52–$58/MWh, saving up to $49/MWh. South Australia's overnight trough is 2:30 AM–5:30 AM AEST at $51–$55/MWh, with savings of up to $63/MWh — notable given SA's forecast daytime peak climbs above $113/MWh around 10:30 AM–12:30 PM AEST. Tasmania is the outlier: prices are largely flat across the day at around $60–$70/MWh, with the most material window only a narrow band around 3:00–4:00 AM AEST at $61/MWh.

Peak periods to avoid are well-defined. NSW prices will rise sharply from 6:00 AM AEST and hold above $89–$111/MWh through to early afternoon, with the 10:00 AM–1:00 PM AEST band the most expensive. Queensland escalates from 6:00 AM AEST, reaching above $107/MWh around 12:30 PM AEST. South Australia faces the steepest daytime profile of any region — prices are forecast above $99–$113/MWh from 9:00 AM through 1:30 PM AEST, with heating demand at 7.6 degrees of deficit and only moderate solar potential today. Victoria's daytime band sits $90–$100/MWh from 8:00 AM through 1:00 PM AEST, underpinned by 95% cloud cover suppressing solar output and a tight max temperature of 13.4°C driving heating load. WA sits outside the NEM dispatch but is currently clearing at $106.80/MWh — operators in the SWIS should note the elevated baseline.

The concrete scheduling recommendation is to concentrate all deferrable load — industrial processes, hot water systems, EV charging, precooling/preheating, battery charging — in the 1:00 AM–5:30 AM AEST window across QLD, NSW, SA, and VIC. Queensland operators should target 2:00 AM–5:00 AM AEST for maximum saving at $43–$45/MWh. SA flexible load managers should be particularly aggressive in avoiding the 9:00 AM–1:30 PM AEST window, where the forecast price spread relative to the overnight trough exceeds $60/MWh. In Tasmania, the differential is narrow enough that load timing is less material, though the 3:00–4:00 AM AEST slot at $61/MWh offers a modest but real saving against the $70/MWh flat rate seen across