Natural Gas Prices in Australia: Historical Data, Current Costs & Forecasts

Natural gas: latest public references

Wholesale observations and contract offers are gas-only references. Transport, network and capacity charges depend on the site.

Delivered industrial quote: project-specific, not established by these references. Figures exclude GST only where tax is evidenced. Unknown or study-specific tax remains source-native.

Display conversion uses an indicative 30-day average, not a real-time rate. Calculations, project prices and downloads remain AUD.

Natural gas market overview

A headline gas price is not your delivered site cost. The supplied draft research contains East coast commodity contract evidence, pending approval, with producer and retailer sales kept separate. Transport, ancillary services and network costs are excluded. Source periods and buyer volume bands remain visible; observations are references, not current supplier offers.

Historical gas prices, 2016 to 2025

AEMO's Quarterly Energy Dynamics reports show east coast wholesale averages of A$11.60/GJ in Q1 2024, peaking at A$13.66/GJ in Q2 2024, then holding between A$12.36 and A$13.60/GJ through 2025. Select History in the explorer for approved contract observations; buyer classes and volume bands remain separate series, not one national average.

Current 2026 gas evidence

Prices fell sharply in 2026. AEMO reports A$10.61/GJ for Q1 2026, a March monthly average of A$9.22/GJ (a four-year low) and A$9.08/GJ for Q2 2026. AEMO attributes the fall to lower gas-fired generation demand, bidding behaviour and more Moomba supply to southern markets, while international LNG spot prices stayed higher.

Forecast scenarios, 2027 to 2036

Lower, central and higher scenarios appear only after the underlying method, assumptions and source are approved. The current pre-data service contains no approved gas forecasts. Planning scenarios must never be presented as supplier offers or guaranteed prices.

Regional markets and gas hubs

Use documented region and hub filters rather than assuming a price for each state. East coast contract evidence cannot establish a Western Australian price or a local delivered quote. Regional gaps remain explicit until compatible source-backed observations are approved.

Industrial delivered costs versus wholesale commodity prices

A delivered industrial quote needs the commodity charge, transport, distribution, capacity or demand charges, ancillary services, volume, load profile, term and tax basis. Wholesale commodity evidence excludes separately charged transport and ancillary costs. No retail or delivered industrial price is inferred from wholesale data.

Natural gas versus biomethane

Compare the same HHV energy basis, location, delivery point, volume and contract term. Separate biomethane production cost, delivered customer price and producer netback. The current pre-data service has no approved biomethane price observations; willingness to pay and renewable premiums need customer or contract evidence.

Commercial sensitivity and preliminary feasibility

Use your own documented gas quote in Project Viability. Test gas price, utilisation, operating cost and delivery assumptions separately. An indicative commodity reference cannot establish a delivered-cost gap or investment result. Certificate eligibility and hypothetical policy support remain separate from enacted schemes and contracted revenue.

Sources, methodology and limitations

The explorer retains each source ID, original measurement, unit, currency, classification and observation dates. Open Source evidence for publisher, title, publication date, locator and last checked date. HHV energy conversion uses 1 MWh = 3.6 GJ; source HHV uncertainty must be resolved before conversion. FX and inflation conversion remain unavailable without approved dated references.

What is the current all-in price?

Current natural gas price including all taxes and charges, excluding GST (AUD/MWh HHV)

No verified figure. No verified all-in delivered HHV price; published commodity references are available. Historical offer context: ACCC-reported retailer offers to C&I users, January to June 2025, for 2026 supply averaged A$14.43/GJ (range A$12.60 to A$17.33/GJ). This is an offer sample, not a current quote. Multiplying by 3.6 converts GJ to MWh but does not establish HHV; the report does not state its heating-value basis. Not included: Pipeline transport, distribution network, capacity and metering charges are not included, so this is not an all-in delivered price. No public source publishes an all-in delivered C&I gas price.

ACCC: Gas Inquiry 2017–30: December 2025 interim report, Chapter 2, prices offered for 2026 supply (chart 2.1)

East coast wholesale gas prices, 2024 to 2026

Excludes pipeline transport, distribution, capacity, retail margin and contract terms; not a delivered industrial price or a supplier offer. Western Australia is not covered.

Ten-year AER financial-year hub series: extraction pending; no national delivered average has been invented. GJ-to-MWh conversion does not independently establish HHV.

Supplied October 2026 contract reference for 2027–28 delivery held pending primary-source verification.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current east coast wholesale gas price?

AEMO reports east coast wholesale gas averaged A$9.08/GJ in Q2 2026 (about A$32.69/MWh), the lowest quarter since Q2 2021. This excludes transport, network and retail charges.

Is a wholesale gas price an all-in industrial cost?

No. Commodity references exclude separately charged transport and ancillary services. Confirm all delivered costs and contract terms with your supplier.

How do AUD/GJ HHV and AUD/MWh HHV compare?

Multiply AUD/GJ HHV by 3.6 to obtain AUD/MWh HHV. Divide by 3.6 for the reverse conversion. Do not mix HHV and LHV without a documented heating-value relationship.

Why are some years and forecast views empty?

No approved observations or scenarios match that period and boundary. Missing evidence is not zero and is never interpolated.

Can I assume a biomethane premium?

No. Customer willingness to pay, certificates, support eligibility and contracted premiums require separate evidence. Hypothetical support is not contracted revenue.

Can these prices replace my site contract?

No. Public references support preliminary screening only. Your documented project-specific price and delivery boundary remain under your control.

Sources & References

• aemo.com.au, AEMO Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q2 2026

  Publication: Date not verified

  Observation period: Not recorded

  Relevant page / section: Claim-level locator not yet verified

  Last link / title verification: Not verified

  Verification incomplete, do not rely on this reference for an investment or approval decision.

  Source metadata and claim-level evidence require verification.

• aemo.com.au, AEMO Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q1 2026

  Publication: Date not verified

  Observation period: Not recorded

  Relevant page / section: Claim-level locator not yet verified

  Last link / title verification: Not verified

  Verification incomplete, do not rely on this reference for an investment or approval decision.

  Source metadata and claim-level evidence require verification.

• aemo.com.au, AEMO Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q4 2025

  Publication: Date not verified

  Observation period: Not recorded

  Relevant page / section: Claim-level locator not yet verified

  Last link / title verification: Not verified

  Verification incomplete, do not rely on this reference for an investment or approval decision.

  Source metadata and claim-level evidence require verification.

• aemo.com.au, AEMO Quarterly Energy Dynamics (all reports)

  Publication: Date not verified

  Observation period: Not recorded

  Relevant page / section: Claim-level locator not yet verified

  Last link / title verification: Not verified

  Verification incomplete, do not rely on this reference for an investment or approval decision.

  Source metadata and claim-level evidence require verification.