SMEs (Small and medium businesses) experience record breaking prices

In Q321 the average SME gas contract was priced at the highest value since we started tracking propositions in 2012 (4.98p/th for 1-year acquisition contracts that assume a 25MWh annual consumption). Our Pricing in the SME Gas/Power Markets reports also shows SME electricity contracts seeing record highs, priced at 19.95p/kWh (for 1-year acquisition contracts at the PC3-6MWh consumption point).

To keep reading, please log in to your account or sign up for free

Alternatively, please sign up to receive free market insight online and direct to your inbox

Related thinking

Commercial and market outlook

The Very Fast FCAS market is about to commence – a look at a possible time-of-day profile for R1

On 9 October 2023, 1pm (market time), the dispatch of the new Very Fast (VF) FCAS market in the NEM will commence and will add two new markets for contingency FCAS, Raise 1 (R1) and Lower 1 (L1). AEMO has released a final industry go-live plan to keep track of...

Low carbon generation

“Ooh, a storm is threatening, My very [interconnection] today”: Can states utilise interconnection to share wind resources?

Penetration of renewables continues to dominate the energy news, as we saw renewables as a proportion of total demand reach new heights this week to a new record of ~70% penetration. In light of this continuing march toward a renewable-dominated grid (building on some analysis we did in Chart of...

Energy storage and flexibility

How long is the ‘Golden time of day’ for batteries?

A key part of the business case for grid-scale standalone batteries is the arbitrage opportunity between low daytime wholesale prices (when renewable energy generation from solar is plentiful) and high evening prices (when the sun goes down and household demand ramps up quickly). The share of battery revenue coming from...

Low carbon generation

MLF changes in NSW in the past decade

MLF, short for Marginal Loss Factor, represents the portion of electricity losses that occur along the transmission network between a connection point and the Regional Reference Node (RRN). Within the NEM, the MLF serves as a metric to quantify these losses along the network, playing a pivotal role in determining...

Energy storage and flexibility

Spread your wings and arbitrage away as Q2 sees ‘the spread’ increase

The focus of batteries is constantly adjusting to reflect ‘where the money is at’. Various quarters have trends, and others have events that swing momentum. With FCAS enablement in Q2 this year dropping to some of the lowest values since 2016, shifting the solar curve, or rather arbitrage, became the...

Commercial and market outlook

Zap, Crackle, Pop! SA’s shocking electric dance party on the 11th

Across the mainland states in the NEM, South Australia (SA) relies heavily on variable renewable energy (VRE) resources. SA is an excellent subject to test the premise “What if the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine”? Negative spot prices persist in South Australia due to an abundant supply...

Commercial and market outlook

Polarisation of wholesale spot prices leads to opportunity for arbitrage services

Over the last five financial years, South Australia has seen a significant increase in price volatility, with substantial portions of time both negative and above $250/MWh, leading to increasing opportunities for storage systems to provide arbitrage services. A number of events initiated the reduction in wholesale energy prices between $50/MWh...

Energy storage and flexibility

Proposed changes to PFR and the impact on battery operations

On 3 August, at the request of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) initiated a rule change request proposing to “clarify the mandatory primary frequency response (PFR) obligations of scheduled bidirectional plant (i.e. batteries with a capacity of 5MW and greater)”. One of the...