Thursday 17 September 2026
Trading day 2026-09-17
Queensland records 188 negative intervals as NEM average prices rise sharply
Regional average prices ranged from 51.20 dollars per MWh in Queensland to 72.50 dollars per MWh in Victoria. Queensland saw the most frequent price suppression with 188 negative intervals, followed by South Australia with 142 intervals. Despite these lows, maximum prices reached 152.80 dollars per MWh in Tasmania during the evening peak.
Renewable generation achieved an instantaneous peak of 73.2 percent at 13:15, with rooftop solar providing 16.7 percent of the daily energy. Coal remained the primary source at 47.2 percent, while gas and hydro combined for 11.2 percent of the mix. Batteries discharged 17,592 MWh throughout the day to support the grid during higher-priced periods.
Aggregate demand was highest in New South Wales at 346.5 GWh, followed by Victoria and Queensland at 268.9 GWh and 265.5 GWh respectively. All regions peaked between 18:05 and 19:20, coinciding with the decline of solar utility and rooftop contributions. Total emissions fell by 2.8 percent compared to the same day last week.
FCAS costs were concentrated in Tasmania, which recorded the highest peak prices for five of the eight frequency control services. Raise Regulation and Lower Regulation services were the primary cost drivers, totaling over 69,500 dollars. Interconnector flows showed significant movement from Victoria into New South Wales and from New South Wales into Queensland.
Today · Pre-dispatch forecasts indicate a peak price of 319.04 dollars per MWh in Queensland at 19:30 this evening.
Why it matters · The daily average price of 63.44 dollars per MWh sits 47.2 percent above the weekly average, extending a rising trend. This volatility is marked by the contrast between 188 negative intervals in Queensland and a high regional price spread during evening peaks.
Prices
Trading day · 04:00 → 04:00 AEST · 30-min average
| Region | Avg | VWAP | Min | Max | Neg | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $66 | $72 | -$8 | $135 | 44 | 0 |
| QLD | $51 | $60 | -$8 | $121 | 188 | 0 |
| SA | $62 | $84 | -$187 | $135 | 142 | 0 |
| VIC | $73 | $78 | -$8 | $138 | 36 | 0 |
| TAS | $67 | $70 | -$8 | $153 | 36 | 0 |
Min · Max are 5-minute dispatch extremes; the price chart plots 30-minute averages, so its peak reads lower.
Demand
FCAS
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $5,251 | 0 | $16 | 17 Sept, 16:20 |
| LOWERREG | $1,835 | 0 | $10 | 17 Sept, 15:40 |
| LOWER5MIN | $886 | 0 | $9 | 17 Sept, 16:00 |
| RAISE6SEC | $125 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| RAISE60SEC | $107 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| LOWER60SEC | $100 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE5MIN | $39 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| LOWER6SEC | $36 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| Total | $8,379 | |||
Cost = NSW RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $11,238 | 0 | $16 | 17 Sept, 16:20 |
| LOWERREG | $5,008 | 0 | $10 | 17 Sept, 15:40 |
| LOWER5MIN | $1,176 | 0 | $9 | 17 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWER60SEC | $386 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE6SEC | $334 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| RAISE60SEC | $258 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| LOWER6SEC | $110 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE5MIN | $50 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| Total | $18,560 | |||
Cost = QLD RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $8,029 | 0 | $16 | 17 Sept, 16:20 |
| LOWERREG | $2,732 | 0 | $10 | 17 Sept, 15:40 |
| LOWER5MIN | $980 | 0 | $9 | 17 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWER60SEC | $507 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE60SEC | $200 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| RAISE6SEC | $198 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| LOWER6SEC | $162 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE5MIN | $81 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| Total | $12,889 | |||
Cost = VIC RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOWERREG | $3,262 | 0 | $10 | 17 Sept, 15:40 |
| RAISEREG | $3,201 | 0 | $16 | 17 Sept, 16:20 |
| LOWER5MIN | $1,451 | 0 | $9 | 17 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWER60SEC | $339 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE6SEC | $219 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| RAISE60SEC | $178 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| LOWER6SEC | $172 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE5MIN | $51 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 06:50 |
| Total | $8,872 | |||
Cost = SA RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOWERREG | $19,999 | 0 | $74 | 17 Sept, 15:40 |
| RAISEREG | $8,993 | 0 | $67 | 17 Sept, 06:30 |
| LOWER6SEC | $3,878 | 0 | $83 | 17 Sept, 10:50 |
| RAISE6SEC | $1,144 | 0 | $67 | 17 Sept, 06:30 |
| RAISE60SEC | $624 | 0 | $3 | 17 Sept, 08:35 |
| LOWER60SEC | $206 | 0 | $1 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| LOWER5MIN | $45 | 0 | $9 | 17 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE5MIN | $28 | 0 | $0 | 17 Sept, 07:20 |
| Total | $34,919 | |||
Cost = TAS RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
Battery dispatch
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 1,762 MW at 18:30 as NSW spot hit $108/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 1,310 MW at 18:30 as QLD spot hit $101/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 873 MW at 07:00 as VIC spot hit $86/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 269 MW at 20:00 as SA spot hit $113/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 4,009 MW at 19:00 as TAS spot hit $105/MWh.
Fleet net dispatch · spot-price overlay · 30-min average
Regional dispatch ranking
| Region | Discharged | Net |
|---|---|---|
#1NSW | 6,677MWh | -1,120 |
#2QLD | 5,102MWh | -1,185 |
#3VIC | 4,441MWh | -500 |
#4SA | 1,371MWh | -330 |
Generation Mix
- Coal51.2% · 111.9 GWh
- Gas1.6% · 3.5 GWh
- Hydro3.3% · 7.3 GWh
- Wind7.4% · 16.2 GWh
- Solar (utility)15.9% · 34.7 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)17.6% · 38.4 GWh
- Battery3.1% · 6.7 GWh
- Coal51.7% · 103.7 GWh
- Gas2.8% · 5.6 GWh
- Hydro1.8% · 3.6 GWh
- Wind11.2% · 22.4 GWh
- Solar (utility)12.2% · 24.4 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)17.9% · 35.9 GWh
- Battery2.5% · 5.1 GWh
- Coal59.2% · 91.4 GWh
- Gas5.7% · 8.9 GWh
- Hydro7.6% · 11.8 GWh
- Wind6.0% · 9.3 GWh
- Solar (utility)6.3% · 9.7 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)12.3% · 19.0 GWh
- Battery2.9% · 4.4 GWh
- Gas23.4% · 10.6 GWh
- Wind37.2% · 16.9 GWh
- Solar (utility)6.5% · 3.0 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)29.9% · 13.6 GWh
- Battery3.0% · 1.4 GWh
- Gas0.2% · 0.1 GWh
- Hydro68.9% · 21.4 GWh
- Wind25.7% · 8.0 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)5.2% · 1.6 GWh
Renewables
- NSW 43.4%
- VIC 33.6%
- QLD 51.2%
- SA 80.0%
- TAS 104.5%
Interconnectors
| Region (proxy) | Net flow | Direction changes | Hours at limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-Q-MNSP1 | +33.3 GWh | 0 | — |
| NSW1-QLD1 | −16.7 GWh | 20 | — |
| VIC1-NSW1 | −17.0 GWh | 22 | — |
| V-SA | −146 MWh | 43 | — |
| T-V-MNSP1 | +4.3 GWh | 1 | — |
Per-region net of NETINTERCHANGE proxied to a representative interconnector. Full per-interconnector decomposition + hours-at-limit needs DINTERCONNECTOR parsing (follow-up).
Emissions
| NSW | 99.0k tCO₂ | 0.445 tCO₂/MWh |
| QLD | 93.4k tCO₂ | 0.459 tCO₂/MWh |
| SA | 5.2k tCO₂ | 0.112 tCO₂/MWh |
| VIC | 113.0k tCO₂ | 0.725 tCO₂/MWh |
| TAS | 36 tCO₂ | 0.001 tCO₂/MWh |