About directions to Blyth Battery on Thursday 25th December 2025

Yesterday we noted the ‘New lowest points for ‘Market Demand’ in both VIC and SA on Thursday 25th December 2025 (Christmas Day)’.

One reader has sought us out on multiple channels, suggesting we should have also noted the direction to Blyth Battery that was related to the (envisaged) MSL conditions in South Australia on the day.

So here’s a short record, in this instance.

About directions to the Blyth Battery

Let’s firstly focus on what was visible on the day via the Market Notices:

Commencement of the direction at the 07:05 dispatch interval

At 06:58 (NEM time) via MN132107, the AEMO communicated as follows:

‘——————————————————————-
MARKET NOTICE
——————————————————————-

From :              AEMO
To   :              NEMITWEB1
Creation Date :     25/12/2025     06:58:57

——————————————————————-

Notice ID               :         132107
Notice Type ID          :         MARKET INTERVENTION
Notice Type Description :         Reserve Contract / Direction / Instruction
Issue Date              :         25/12/2025
External Reference      :         Direction – SA region 25/12/2025 to Blyth Battery Pty Ltd As The Trustee For Blyth Battery Trust – BLYTH BESS

——————————————————————-

Reason :

AEMO ELECTRICITY MARKET NOTICE.
Direction – SA region 25/12/2025 to Blyth Battery Pty Ltd As The Trustee For Blyth Battery Trust – BLYTH BESS
Refer to Market Notice 132077

In accordance with section 116 of the National Electricity Law, AEMO is issuing a direction to the participants specified below. For the purposes of the National Electricity Rules these are directions under clause 4.8.9(a1)(1). 

Directions issued to:
Blyth Battery Pty Ltd As The Trustee For Blyth Battery Trust – BLYTH BESS

This direction is issued at 0700 hrs 25/12/2025

Type of resource: bi-directional unit
Required actions: remain synchronised and follow dispatch targets at 07:00 hrs 25/12/2025

Services provided: Minimum System Load Management

Circumstances necessitating the direction: AEMO has detected that there is an elevated risk of insufficient demand to maintain a secure operating state

Expected duration: 15:30 hrs 25/12/2025

No participant specified in this direction incurs any civil monetary liability for a relevant action taken in accordance with this direction unless the action is taken in bad faith. 

Manager NEM Real Time Operations

——————————————————————-
END OF REPORT
——————————————————————-’

This was echoed at 07:04:27 via MN132108 as follows:

‘——————————————————————-
MARKET NOTICE
——————————————————————-

From :              AEMO
To   :              NEMITWEB1
Creation Date :     25/12/2025     07:04:27

——————————————————————-

Notice ID               :         132108
Notice Type ID          :         MARKET INTERVENTION
Notice Type Description :         Reserve Contract / Direction / Instruction
Issue Date              :         25/12/2025
External Reference      :         Direction – SA region 25/12/2025

——————————————————————-

Reason :

AEMO ELECTRICITY MARKET NOTICE

Direction – SA region 25/12/2025

In accordance with section 116 of the National Electricity Law, AEMO has issued a direction to a participant in the SA region. For the purposes of the National Electricity Rules this is a direction under clause 4.8.9(a1)(1).

The issue of the direction commences an AEMO intervention event. AEMO declares all trading intervals during the event to be intervention trading intervals, commencing from the interval ending 0705 hrs on 25/12/2025.

Intervention pricing does not apply to this AEMO intervention event.

AEMO may issue or revoke additional directions in order to meet the current requirement, unless sufficient market response is provided. A further market notice will be issued when all directions related to this requirement have been cancelled.

Manager NEM Real Time Operations

——————————————————————-
END OF REPORT
——————————————————————-’

Note that this Direction was given

• • approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes prior to MN132011 noting ‘Actual MSL1’ (at 10:15:11) and
  • approximately 5 hours prior to MN132116 noting ‘Actual MSL2’ (at 11:56:47) and

Cancellation of the direction at the 16:00 dispatch interval

Yesterday’s article was published before:

• • at 15:57:00 via MN132126 the ‘Actual MSL2’  was cancelled
  • then at 15:57:02 via MN132129 the ‘Actual MSL1’ was cancelled

That then allowed, at 15:58 via MN132127, the AEMO communicated as follows:

‘——————————————————————-
MARKET NOTICE
——————————————————————-

From :              AEMO
To   :              NEMITWEB1
Creation Date :     25/12/2025     15:58:02

——————————————————————-

Notice ID               :         132127
Notice Type ID          :         MARKET INTERVENTION
Notice Type Description :         Reserve Contract / Direction / Instruction
Issue Date              :         25/12/2025
External Reference      :         Cancellation: Direction issued to:  Blyth Battery Pty Ltd As The Trustee For Blyth Battery Trust – BLYTH BESS

——————————————————————-

Reason :

AEMO ELECTRICITY MARKET NOTICE

Cancellation: Direction issued to:  Blyth Battery Pty Ltd As The Trustee For Blyth Battery Trust – BLYTH BESS

Refer to Market Notice 132107

Direction is cancelled from: 1600 hrs 25/12/2025

Manager NEM Real Time Operations

——————————————————————-
END OF REPORT
——————————————————————-‘

… and finally MN132128 as follows:

‘——————————————————————-
MARKET NOTICE
——————————————————————-

From :              AEMO
To   :              NEMITWEB1
Creation Date :     25/12/2025     15:58:43

——————————————————————-

Notice ID               :         132128
Notice Type ID          :         MARKET INTERVENTION
Notice Type Description :         Reserve Contract / Direction / Instruction
Issue Date              :         25/12/2025
External Reference      :         Cancellation – AEMO Intervention Event – SA region 25/12/2025

——————————————————————-

Reason :

AEMO ELECTRICITY MARKET NOTICE

Cancellation – AEMO Intervention Event – SA region 25/12/2025

Refer to Market Notice 132108

The AEMO Intervention Event and all associated directions are cancelled from 1600 hrs on 25/12/2025.

Manager NEM Real Time Operations

——————————————————————-
END OF REPORT
——————————————————————-’

Bidding at the battery

Given we have access to ‘next day public’ data, I’ve added a snapshot of the ‘Bids & Offers’ widget for BLYTHB1 focused on (a bit longer than) the ‘direction hours’ on Thursday 25th December 2025:

With apologies to readers who might want more precise explanations, it’s useful to note 5 broad periods in the time range shown:

Period 1 – up until 02:30

… with the autobidder running

Period 2 – 02:35 to 07:00

A period of ‘preparations for possible MSL’ in which the unit is bidding down at –$1,000/MWH at the RRN to discharge and empty the battery before (high probability?!) possible MSL later that morning.

Period 3 – 07:05 to 16:00

The period of the direction.  Interesting to note the bid bands chosen.

Period 4 – 16:00 to 16:10:35

A short lag at the end of period of the direction before the auto-bidder kicked back in

Period 5 – from 16:20 onwards

… back on the autobidder

A reminder of the AEMO’s process for managing MSL

Some readers might not have remembered that we posted this reference to AEMO procedures for managing MSL events about 14 months ago:

Note that, back at this time, MSL was only formally declared for Victorian region … albeit SA did still experience many low demand events, the AEMO just did not have a process implemented for South Australia at that time.

Please note that we’re not going to delve into every detail, as it happens – nor even document every MSL event ….