Tuesday 8 September 2026
Trading day 2026-09-08
New South Wales records highest average price amid rising emissions intensity
Regional average prices ranged from $55.00/MWh in Tasmania to $74.20/MWh in New South Wales, with no price cap violations recorded. Tasmania experienced the most significant volatility with fourteen negative price intervals and a minimum price of -$15.00/MWh. South Australia and Victoria each recorded two negative intervals, while Queensland and New South Wales remained positive throughout the day.
Coal dominated the generation mix at 49.4%, followed by combined solar contributions of 25.1% and wind at 11.5%. Hydro generation provided 7.1% of the total energy, while gas contributed 4.0% to the NEM supply. Total emissions reached 317,811 tonnes of CO2, reflecting a substantial increase over the previous week's levels.
Battery storage systems discharged 18,994 MWh into the grid, though the sector remained a net consumer with -3,498 MWh total net flow. FCAS costs were highest in the Lower Regulation and Raise Regulation services, with Tasmania and New South Wales seeing peak prices. Interconnector flows were most active between New South Wales and Queensland, with a net export of 58,545 MWh from the former.
Demand peaked across the NEM at various times, with Victoria and Tasmania reaching their maximums during the morning period. Queensland and South Australia followed the New South Wales trend with evening peaks between 18:15 and 19:00. Total energy consumption for the day was highest in New South Wales at 347.6 GWh.
Today · Forecasts indicate a peak price of $319.04/MWh in Queensland at 19:30, while New South Wales expects a high of $98.25/MWh.
Why it matters · The daily average of $71.10/MWh sits significantly above the 7-day average of $41.02/MWh, extending a three-day upward trend in market costs. This price elevation coincides with a 16.2% rise in emissions and a coal share near 50%, despite batteries providing 3.0% of total dispatch.
Prices
Trading day · 04:00 → 04:00 AEST · 30-min average
| Region | Avg | VWAP | Min | Max | Neg | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $74 | $78 | $8 | $191 | 0 | 0 |
| QLD | $60 | $65 | $4 | $164 | 0 | 0 |
| SA | $63 | $75 | -$1 | $178 | 2 | 0 |
| VIC | $60 | $67 | -$1 | $166 | 2 | 0 |
| TAS | $55 | $58 | -$15 | $136 | 14 | 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 | $3,460 | 0 | $20 | 8 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWERREG | $1,584 | 0 | $30 | 8 Sept, 15:35 |
| LOWER60SEC | $408 | 0 | $6 | 8 Sept, 15:20 |
| RAISE6SEC | $312 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:30 |
| RAISE60SEC | $242 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:35 |
| LOWER5MIN | $164 | 0 | $2 | 8 Sept, 15:15 |
| LOWER6SEC | $77 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 14:20 |
| RAISE5MIN | $52 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:15 |
| Total | $6,299 | |||
Cost = NSW RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $7,757 | 0 | $20 | 8 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWERREG | $7,343 | 0 | $30 | 8 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE6SEC | $548 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:30 |
| LOWER60SEC | $490 | 0 | $6 | 8 Sept, 15:20 |
| RAISE60SEC | $398 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:35 |
| LOWER5MIN | $220 | 0 | $2 | 8 Sept, 15:15 |
| LOWER6SEC | $93 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 14:20 |
| RAISE5MIN | $45 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:15 |
| Total | $16,895 | |||
Cost = QLD RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $9,650 | 0 | $20 | 8 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWERREG | $5,507 | 0 | $30 | 8 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE6SEC | $514 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:30 |
| RAISE60SEC | $462 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:35 |
| LOWER60SEC | $416 | 0 | $6 | 8 Sept, 15:20 |
| RAISE5MIN | $123 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:15 |
| LOWER5MIN | $105 | 0 | $2 | 8 Sept, 15:15 |
| LOWER6SEC | $101 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 14:20 |
| Total | $16,877 | |||
Cost = VIC RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISEREG | $4,574 | 0 | $20 | 8 Sept, 16:00 |
| LOWERREG | $4,535 | 0 | $30 | 8 Sept, 15:35 |
| RAISE60SEC | $1,567 | 0 | $5 | 9 Sept, 00:30 |
| RAISE6SEC | $1,077 | 0 | $1 | 8 Sept, 22:25 |
| RAISE5MIN | $674 | 0 | $3 | 9 Sept, 01:05 |
| LOWER60SEC | $600 | 0 | $6 | 8 Sept, 15:20 |
| LOWER5MIN | $195 | 0 | $2 | 8 Sept, 15:15 |
| LOWER6SEC | $193 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 08:35 |
| Total | $13,414 | |||
Cost = SA RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
| Service | Cost | Spikes | Peak | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOWERREG | $9,201 | 0 | $84 | 9 Sept, 03:05 |
| RAISEREG | $9,114 | 0 | $5 | 8 Sept, 16:05 |
| LOWER6SEC | $5,953 | 0 | $66 | 8 Sept, 10:20 |
| RAISE60SEC | $598 | 0 | $3 | 9 Sept, 02:10 |
| RAISE6SEC | $361 | 0 | $0 | 8 Sept, 06:30 |
| LOWER60SEC | $281 | 0 | $1 | 8 Sept, 15:20 |
| LOWER5MIN | $51 | 0 | $2 | 8 Sept, 15:15 |
| RAISE5MIN | $44 | 0 | $1 | 9 Sept, 02:25 |
| Total | $25,602 | |||
Cost = TAS RRP × cleared MW per 5-min interval.
Battery dispatch
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 1,332 MW at 18:30 as NSW spot hit $145/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 1,741 MW at 18:30 as QLD spot hit $124/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 1,019 MW at 19:30 as VIC spot hit $105/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 400 MW at 07:30 as SA spot hit $96/MWh.
Peak moment
Fleet discharged 4,321 MW at 18:30 as TAS spot hit $118/MWh.
Fleet net dispatch · spot-price overlay · 30-min average
Regional dispatch ranking
| Region | Discharged | Net |
|---|---|---|
#1VIC | 6,292MWh | +204 |
#2NSW | 5,643MWh | -2,835 |
#3QLD | 5,134MWh | -1,133 |
#4SA | 1,927MWh | +265 |
Generation Mix
- Coal59.5% · 114.2 GWh
- Gas0.7% · 1.3 GWh
- Hydro2.3% · 4.3 GWh
- Wind7.1% · 13.7 GWh
- Solar (utility)11.9% · 22.9 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)15.6% · 30.0 GWh
- Battery2.9% · 5.6 GWh
- Coal57.4% · 115.7 GWh
- Gas1.8% · 3.7 GWh
- Hydro2.0% · 4.0 GWh
- Wind8.4% · 17.0 GWh
- Solar (utility)12.3% · 24.7 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)15.5% · 31.2 GWh
- Battery2.5% · 5.1 GWh
- Coal52.1% · 85.9 GWh
- Gas5.4% · 8.9 GWh
- Hydro8.1% · 13.4 GWh
- Wind9.2% · 15.2 GWh
- Solar (utility)6.6% · 10.9 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)14.6% · 24.1 GWh
- Battery3.8% · 6.3 GWh
- Other0.1% · 0.2 GWh
- Gas17.2% · 7.6 GWh
- Wind44.8% · 19.8 GWh
- Solar (utility)7.4% · 3.3 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)25.6% · 11.3 GWh
- Battery4.4% · 1.9 GWh
- Other0.6% · 0.3 GWh
- Gas11.4% · 4.2 GWh
- Hydro63.6% · 23.5 GWh
- Wind20.6% · 7.6 GWh
- Solar (rooftop)4.4% · 1.6 GWh
Renewables
- NSW 34.6%
- VIC 42.7%
- QLD 45.7%
- SA 86.7%
- TAS 109.9%
Interconnectors
| Region (proxy) | Net flow | Direction changes | Hours at limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-Q-MNSP1 | +38.1 GWh | 2 | — |
| NSW1-QLD1 | −58.5 GWh | 2 | — |
| VIC1-NSW1 | +11.8 GWh | 9 | — |
| V-SA | +2.9 GWh | 36 | — |
| T-V-MNSP1 | +11.2 GWh | 0 | — |
Per-region net of NETINTERCHANGE proxied to a representative interconnector. Full per-interconnector decomposition + hours-at-limit needs DINTERCONNECTOR parsing (follow-up).
Emissions
| NSW | 100.0k tCO₂ | 0.512 tCO₂/MWh |
| QLD | 103.3k tCO₂ | 0.506 tCO₂/MWh |
| SA | 3.9k tCO₂ | 0.088 tCO₂/MWh |
| VIC | 108.0k tCO₂ | 0.642 tCO₂/MWh |
| TAS | 2.5k tCO₂ | 0.070 tCO₂/MWh |