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Market analysis of 16 March 2023

Queensland recorded a wholesale electricity price high of AUD 15,500.00/MWh at 17:55 on 16 March 2023 and a low of −AUD 315.76/MWh at 10:15. The arithmetic average across its 288 five-minute observations was AUD 523.88/MWh.

Across the day, 7 observations were below zero, a total of 0.6 hours and 23 observations were at or above AUD 300/MWh, a total of 1.9 hours. The spread between the highest and lowest prices was AUD 15,815.76/MWh.

The Five-Minute Price Curve

The first chart shows each five-minute price for Queensland through the day, with times in fixed UTC+10. Timing matters for any operator: a battery or flexible load gains from the gap between the cheapest and dearest intervals, while a generator’s result depends on when its energy was delivered.

Queensland Wholesale Prices — 16 March 2023; 2023-03-16 | Five-Minute Prices | UTC+10
Wholesale prices in Queensland on 2023-03-16. Source: Network Map; AUD/MWh, fixed UTC+10.

How The Five Regions Compared

Daily average prices in the other regions were: New South Wales AUD 476.41/MWh, Tasmania AUD 43.11/MWh, South Australia AUD 32.36/MWh, Victoria AUD 24.09/MWh. The second chart compares the five regional averages for 16 March 2023.

Average Prices By Region On 16 March — 16 March 2023; 2023-03-16 | Daily Arithmetic Average | AUD/MWh
Daily average wholesale price by region on 2023-03-16. Source: Network Map; AUD/MWh.

What The Day Means For Operations

For a battery operator, the question is where charging and discharging belonged within this curve. For a generator or retailer, the same timestamps show which intervals carried the most value or cost. Reviewing the day interval by interval keeps these signals visible where a daily average would hide them.

This analysis uses Network Map’s regional observations dated 16 March 2023. Prices are in Australian dollars per megawatt-hour, times use fixed UTC+10, and daily averages give equal weight to each five-minute observation.

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