The overnight-to-morning ramp played out across all NEM regions as expected, with demand and prices lifting from soft troughs into the $100-120/MWh band by 06:30 AEST. NSW1 saw the sharpest swing, spiking to $185.51/MWh during yesterday's 07:15-08:05 peak before easing back to $110.96/MWh this morning with demand at 8,196 MW. QLD1 demand sits at 6,499 MW ($103.51/MWh) after yesterday's afternoon peak topped $178/MWh. Watch the morning and evening ramps again today across NSW1 and VIC1 as heating and commercial load builds — no LOR conditions are forecast over the next 48 hours, keeping supply adequacy comfortable.
South Australia posted the session's highest price extreme at $209/MWh (24h average $97/MWh), despite a stretch of exceptional renewable output — 97.9% penetration overnight on 1,551 MW of wind plus 684 MW of battery discharge, with RRP holding in a moderate $83-88/MWh band during that window. Prices firmed to $116.43/MWh by this morning as demand climbed off its overnight trough near 1,255 MW, illustrating how quickly conditions can tighten even after a high-renewable interval.
WA1 recorded the highest average and peak prices of any region tracked today — $116/MWh average and a $235/MWh maximum over the past 24 hours. This stands out against the NEM's generally softer averages ($84-101/MWh) and warrants attention for energy managers with WA1 exposure.
No LOR conditions are forecast across the NEM in the next 48 hours. Basslink is running at 75% of its 459 MW export limit (345 MW TAS1→VIC1), the highest interconnector utilisation on the board, though non-binding. East coast gas hub prices eased slightly day-on-day, with STTM Sydney at $10.80/GJ, Adelaide $10.61/GJ and Brisbane $10.97/GJ. LGC prices continued their pullback, closing the week ending 21 August at $7.75, down from $8.50 the prior week.