Market analysis of 7 January 2026
South Australia recorded a wholesale electricity price high of AUD 1,513.44/MWh at 20:15 on 7 January 2026 and a low of −AUD 12.50/MWh at 07:25. The arithmetic average across its 288 five-minute observations was AUD 156.42/MWh.
Across the day, 64 observations were below zero, a total of 5.3 hours and 35 observations were at or above AUD 300/MWh, a total of 2.9 hours. The spread between the highest and lowest prices was AUD 1,525.94/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.
How The Five Regions Compared
Daily average prices in the other regions were: Victoria AUD 130.30/MWh, Tasmania AUD 125.43/MWh, New South Wales AUD 71.65/MWh, Queensland AUD 48.35/MWh. The second chart compares the five regional averages for 7 January 2026.
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 7 January 2026. Prices are in Australian dollars per megawatt-hour, times use fixed UTC+10, and daily averages give equal weight to each five-minute observation.
Explore The Data
Markets, Revenue Reconciliation, Battery Revenue Benchmarks.
