Western Australia’s Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) sits on the islanded South West Interconnected System (SWIS). In October 2023 it completed a major reform that modernised dispatch and created co-optimised markets for essential system services. In plain terms: the WEM now matches real-time demand to the lowest-cost mix of supply and services - so long as you’re technically ready and operationally disciplined.

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Similar to the NEM, there are a number of moving parts to the WEM across various energy and capacity markets. These are described in greater detail below:

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1)      Day-ahead balancing via STEM:

Ahead of real time, the Short-Term Energy Market (STEM) allows participants to buy/sell to tidy up positions. Think of it as a portfolio management tool before the RTM takes over.

PowerSync’s technology enables an optimised build of a rolling view of tomorrow’s load/generation and price distributions; it auto-forms STEM bids/offers that hedge the expected real-time market exposure while respecting site constraints.

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2)    Real-Time Market (RTM):

This is the engine room of the WEM. Every five minutes, Security-Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED) clears energy alongside Essential System Services (ESS): Regulation Raise/Lower, Contingency Raise/Lower and Rate-of-Change-of-Frequency (RoCoF) Control. If your asset is accredited and telemetry-ready, you can submit co-optimised offers and get dispatched for whichever combination maximises system value at that moment.

PowerSync’s technology comes into its own in the real-time market through AI driven market forecasting capabilities and considerations that enables true co-optimisation of offer strategies to maximise value from both the energy and ESS (capacity) markets. This all occurs while allowing for dynamic site constraints across multiple load and generation types.

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3)    Reserve Capacity Mechanism (RCM)

In addition, the Reserve Capacity Mechanism (RCM) pays for dependable capacity years in advance. AEMO sets requirements two years ahead via the Electricity Statement of Opportunities and administers credits and obligations. The exciting news is that demand-side participation can now participate on equal-footing in this program, provided the standard testing regime is met. PowerSync Technologies automates the entire process, delivering certainty of available capacity while providing automated market responses for the agreed capacity.

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PowerSync gets you market-ready fast. We help you register your business and each asset, handle the key paperwork (ETAC, performance standards, commissioning), and keep the steps in order so you know who does what, and when, on a clear path to go-live.

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We integrate seamlessly with AEMO through our EdgeGateway and SCADA adapters map telemetry to the right data points, accept AGC set-points, and send back reliable status. That clarity helps you pass commissioning, keep eligibility, and follow dispatch accurately.

For day-ahead, we use rolling 24-hour forecasts (load, solar, prices) to shape sensible STEM positions. We take account of guardrails and other site constraint and automate the bids with low volatility.

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As we enter the Real Time Market, our optimiser builds co-optimised offers for energy and ESS every five minutes, then adjusts as conditions change. We respect plant limits, network caps, backup modes, and process windows enabling a full value-stack of available revenues without breaching constraints.

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Our robust ESS accreditation module runs pre-tests, capture ramp rates and tracking error, and keep an audit trail ready for inspections or re-tests to ensure ongoing compliance. If performance drifts, alerts are triggered and parameters tighten to keep you compliant.

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This all takes place in a simple automated environment that then delivers straightforward settlement. PowerSync maps interval data to WEM files, reconciles STEM vs RTM outcomes, and breaks out profits by stream, all visualised through our online dashboarding portal.

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To learn more about how PowerSync Technologies can deliver market-leading revenues from the WEM, contact PowerSync Technologies today to map your pathway so your assets earn confidently and compliantly from day one.

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