Load Advisor: Sunday 6 September 2026

NEM-wide, the deep overnight trough from roughly 09:00 to 14:30 AEST is the standout load-shifting window, with predispatch prices sitting at or below zero across NSW, VIC, SA and TAS, and QLD holding negative pricing from around 09:00 through to 15:30 AEST. QLD's trough is both the deepest and most sustained, with forecast prices between -$4.09 and -$1.74/MWh continuously for six-plus hours, offering the most reliable window for shifting flexible load without price risk. NSW and SA show similarly strong troughs around 11:30-14:00 AEST, with prices dropping to -$4.55/MWh in NSW and -$4.15/MWh in SA, while VIC and TAS bottom out slightly later, near 13:30-14:00 AEST, at -$4.24/MWh and -$4.40/MWh respectively.

Flexible load should be scheduled between 11:00 and 14:00 AEST across all five regions, capturing savings of $95-$127/MWh versus current evening peak pricing (which sits between $45.38/MWh in VIC and $97.43/MWh in WA as of this morning). Within that window, the 13:30-14:30 AEST slot is the strongest, aligning with the lowest forecast prices in NSW (-$4.55/MWh at 14:00), SA (-$4.15/MWh at 14:00) and TAS (-$4.40/MWh at 14:00). QLD's optimal slot sits slightly earlier, around 13:00-14:00 AEST, where prices are forecast at -$3.30 to -$4.09/MWh.

Traders and grid engineers should plan to avoid two peak periods today: the early morning ramp between 17:00 and 18:30 AEST, where NSW climbs to $122.86/MWh and SA to $119.52/MWh as demand rises ahead of sunrise, and the evening peak from approximately 21:30 AEST onward, where all regions show forecast prices above $70/MWh persisting through to at least midnight. NSW carries the highest peak-period risk today, forecast to reach $122.86/MWh at 19:00 AEST, while VIC's peak is comparatively lower at $110.50/MWh. Solar potential today is weak across the NEM (NSW at 27.9%, VIC at just 3.7% average, SA at 5.1%), which limits midday solar-driven price suppression beyond the overnight trough — reinforcing that the pre-dawn window, not rooftop solar, is driving today's negative pricing.

For flexible load scheduling: target the 11:00-14:30 AEST window NEM-wide, with priority given to QLD (most reliable negative pricing, low risk) and NSW/SA (deepest single-interval savings around 13:30-14:00 AEST). Avoid dispatch during the 07:00-09:30 AEST ramp and the 17:00 AEST onward evening peak in all regions, where NSW and SA carry the highest cost exposure today.