Major change in NSW ‘Market Demand’ on Wed 5th August 2026 – ‘just’ a data glitch, or more?

On Wednesday the 5th of August, 2026, a sudden drop in NSW demand was followed by apparent recovery in the next interval.

We note the following, initially.

We were alerted by notification to the ez2view ‘Mobile App’. 2650 MW is an unusual magnitude for change in a 5-minute interval, to say the least:

The following screenshot from forecast convergence captured the dip:

Seeking to understand why, a quick glance at the region boundary flows identifies the driver.

“Metered flow” from NSW to QLD had swung from -894 (into NSW) to 956 MW (into QLD) across the 16:20 interval  – in the leadup to the 16:25 interval. A net change of 1850MW. These flows contribute to the total demand calculation for NSW:

At the same time, metered flow increased in the direction away from NSW, into VIC, from near-zero, contributing to the NSW demand dip in 16:25 (interval beginning):

Initial supply in QLD appears to have resisted this interconnector flow from NSW; it moved from 6350 MW to 6444MW only. While some generation levels did also change, the changes were not at the magnitude of 1850 MW (the swing on the NSW-QLD interconnector).

Initial supply in NSW reflected the suprious interconnector flows.

These indicators point towards a data glitch.

Perhaps more details will come to light in time.