Load Advisor: Wednesday 24 June 2026

At 06:25 AEST, NEM spot prices sit at $148/MWh in NSW, $172/MWh in VIC, $160/MWh in SA, $90/MWh in QLD, and $79/MWh in TAS. Victoria and South Australia are carrying the highest exposure right now, with predispatch forecasts showing both regions will remain elevated — VIC is forecast above $200/MWh through to at least 11:30 AEST, with spikes to $252/MWh and $284/MWh flagged around 10:30–12:30 AEST. NSW faces a similar morning ramp, with prices forecast to climb from the current $148/MWh to a $235/MWh peak during the 08:00–10:30 AEST window and an isolated $288/MWh spike at 12:30 AEST. QLD is the cleanest signal on the board: prices are already subdued at $90/MWh and will fall further to a trough of $54/MWh between 11:30–12:30 AEST, before recovering through the afternoon.

The strongest load-shifting opportunity NEM-wide is in QLD, where the 11:30–12:30 AEST window averages $54–$69/MWh — a saving of up to $136/MWh versus the QLD morning peak. For operators with flexibility spanning the overnight period, the QLD window from 10:00–12:30 AEST (06:30–13:30 UTC as shown in predispatch) represents the best value on the NEM today. In NSW, the overnight trough from 11:00–12:00 AEST (01:00–02:00 UTC) sits at $89–$98/MWh — a saving of up to $199/MWh versus the morning peak — and that window is already open or imminent depending on your scheduling horizon. In VIC, avoid all load before 15:00 AEST if possible; the cheapest predispatch window is 15:00–16:00 AEST at around $99/MWh, saving $178/MWh versus peak. SA's best window is 14:30–15:30 AEST at $112/MWh, saving $170/MWh versus peak, though afternoon prices remain elevated relative to QLD and TAS. Tasmania offers a useful secondary option: prices are forecast to dip to $70–$73/MWh between 15:00–16:00 AEST and hold near $79/MWh across most of the afternoon, making it the lowest-cost mainland-adjacent region through the back half of the day.

The concrete scheduling recommendation: defer all non-critical flexible load in VIC and SA until after 15:00 AEST and avoid the 08:30–10:30 AEST window in NSW entirely. QLD operators should target the 11:30–12:30 AEST slot as the primary dispatch window. For loads that must run in the next two hours, TAS is the best option at $79/MWh spot with a settled afternoon forecast. The morning peak risk is most acute in VIC — predispatch shows $242–$284/MWh persisting well into the business day — and any load that can be shifted past 15:00 AEST in that region will capture savings exceeding $140/MWh