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Market analysis of 17 October 2024

South Australia recorded a wholesale electricity price high of AUD 17,500.00/MWh at 10:25 on 17 October 2024 and a low of −AUD 99.21/MWh at 13:50. The arithmetic average across its 288 five-minute observations was AUD 190.46/MWh.

Across the day, 60 observations were below zero, a total of 5.0 hours and 5 observations were at or above AUD 300/MWh, a total of 0.4 hours. The spread between the highest and lowest prices was AUD 17,599.21/MWh.

The Five-Minute Price Curve

The first chart shows each five-minute price for South Australia 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.

South Australia Wholesale Prices — 17 October 2024; 2024-10-17 | Five-Minute Prices | UTC+10
Wholesale prices in South Australia on 2024-10-17. 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 79.07/MWh, Queensland AUD 48.73/MWh, Tasmania AUD 38.89/MWh, Victoria AUD 34.31/MWh. The second chart compares the five regional averages for 17 October 2024.

Average Prices By Region On 17 October — 17 October 2024; 2024-10-17 | Daily Arithmetic Average | AUD/MWh
Daily average wholesale price by region on 2024-10-17. 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 17 October 2024. 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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