The NEM delivered a week of genuine contrast across the 30 March to 6 April period — bookended by a volatile Monday with elevated prices and notable spikes, and settling into a mid-week stretch dominated by negative pricing across South Australia and Victoria before a firmer close heading into the Easter long weekend. Autumn demand patterns were firmly in play, with overnight troughs pulling consumption down sharply and midday solar generation continuing to push wholesale prices into deeply negative territory in the southern regions on multiple occasions.
Tasmania stood as a consistent outlier throughout the week, with spot prices averaging well above the mainland — ranging from $77/MWh to $97/MWh across the period — and recording 100% renewable penetration on every night observed. The binding constraint event on the T_BLINK_TV_NGZ interconnector equipment, carrying a shadow price of $7.308 million, was the week's single most significant network event and contributed to price separation between Tasmania and the broader NEM.
Across the mainland, South Australia and Victoria were the most volatile regions, with SA recording a daily average of -$9/MWh on 31 March and -$10/MWh on 3 April, and Victoria averaging -$13/MWh on 4 April — reflecting sustained periods of oversupply during daylight and low-demand windows. Queensland and NSW tracked more moderate ranges, generally holding positive daily averages throughout the week.
Negative pricing events were a recurring feature across the week, concentrated in SA and Victoria during midday and overnight windows. SA recorded negative daily averages on 31 March, 3 April, and 4 April. Victoria followed with negative averages on 3 and 4 April. Queensland's -$102/MWh intraday low on 5 April was a notable one-off excursion. NSW and Tasmania avoided negative daily averages throughout.
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