Load Advisor: Saturday 15 August 2026
**NEM-wide load shifting advisory — Sunday 16 August 2026**
The overnight window from 06:00 to 16:00 AEST (predispatch 20:00–06:00 UTC) is today's standout shifting opportunity, with QLD1, VIC1, SA1 and TAS1 all forecasting negative or near-zero prices between 08:00 and 16:00 AEST. QLD1 leads with prices as low as -$8.62/MWh around 14:00 AEST, while VIC1, SA1 and TAS1 all dip below -$3/MWh near 14:30 AEST as minimum overnight demand coincides with high must-run generation. NSW1 is the exception, holding in the low-$40s/MWh through this period rather than turning negative, reflecting comparatively tighter regional supply-demand balance overnight.
Peak periods to avoid sit firmly in the mid-morning block. All five mainland regions forecast a sharp price ramp from 16:00 AEST, climbing through the 17:00–18:00 AEST window and peaking between 18:00 and 21:00 AEST at $91–$101/MWh (SA1 highest at $101.02/MWh, NSW1 and VIC1 near $97-98/MWh, TAS1 at $88/MWh). This coincides with the morning demand ramp before rooftop solar reaches full output, and flexible load scheduled into this window will pay 3-4 times the overnight rate. A secondary but smaller peak also builds from 05:00-07:30 AEST as prices rise off overnight lows before settling into the morning peak.
SA1 and QLD1 offer the strongest savings opportunities today, both showing over $100/MWh swing between trough and peak. SA1's 14:00 AEST window (-$3.09/MWh forecast) against its 18:30 AEST peak ($101.02/MWh) represents the single best arbitrage across the NEM. QLD1's sustained negative pricing from 08:00 to 14:30 AEST — the longest sub-zero stretch of any region — gives the widest flexible-load scheduling margin for operations that can shift several hours of consumption.
Recommendation: schedule flexible and interruptible load (EV charging, batteries, industrial process load, HVAC pre-cooling) into the 08:00–15:00 AEST window across all mainland regions, prioritising QLD1 and SA1 for maximum savings. Avoid new load commitments in the 16:00–21:00 AEST band NEM-wide, and ensure any load shed ahead of this peak is completed before the 16:00 AEST ramp begins. NSW1 flexible load should target the 10:00–15:00 AEST window specifically, since it does not reach negative pricing today and the savings margin, while still solid at ~$55-64/MWh versus peak, is narrower than other regions.