Load Advisor: Friday 31 July 2026
# NEM Load Shifting Advisory — Saturday 1 August 2026
Current spot prices sit at $78-102/MWh across mainland regions as of 06:30 AEST (NSW1 $97.64, VIC1 $102.36, SA1 $101.02, QLD1 $78.54, TAS1 $92.07), but overnight predispatch data shows a deep low-price trough already underway that will extend through mid-morning. This is the priority window for shifting flexible load today.
The strongest opportunity is **10:30-16:30 AEST (00:30-06:30 UTC)**, when prices across NSW1, VIC1, SA1, QLD1 and TAS1 all fall into negative-to-sub-$15/MWh territory. QLD1 and SA1 both show sustained negative pricing (-$1 to -$7/MWh) from roughly 11:00-16:00 AEST, driven by minimal demand and renewable output overnight. VIC1 is the standout: prices trough at -$1.12/MWh around 12:30-13:30 AEST and stay below $11/MWh through to 16:30 AEST, delivering savings of $146-158/MWh versus this morning's peak. TAS1 and NSW1 show similar but shallower troughs, bottoming near $0/MWh and $29-34/MWh respectively between 10:30 and 15:30 AEST.
Regions to avoid for flexible load: SA1 predispatch flags an extreme price spike forecast for **19:30-21:00 AEST (10:00-11:00 UTC)**, with prices surging to $844-1001/MWh — this is the single sharpest peak in today's forecast and should be treated as a hard avoid for any shiftable SA1 load. VIC1 and NSW1 both show secondary evening peaks building from 17:00 AEST onward as the overnight trough unwinds and heating demand returns with falling temperatures (VIC1 current 3.2°C, cloud cover 98%, limiting solar contribution today). QLD1's evening peak is comparatively mild, holding near $90-101/MWh through 17:00-19:00 AEST.
**Recommendation:** Schedule discretionary and shiftable load (EV charging, batch industrial processes, water heating, battery charging) into the **10:30-16:30 AEST window nationally**, with VIC1 offering the deepest and longest savings pocket. SA1 operators must complete all flexible load activity before 19:00 AEST to avoid the four-figure price spike forecast for early evening. Battery operators in SA1 should prioritise charging in the 09:00-11:00 AEST trough (-$3 to -$5/MWh) ahead of discharging into the 19:30-21:00 AEST peak, which offers the best arbitrage spread in the NEM today.