Western state utility regulators last week unanimously voted to revise the charter for SPP’s Markets+ State Committee (MSC) to allow additional states and Canadian provinces to join the group.
As originally envisioned by SPP, the MSC was to be comprised of a member from each state in which a Markets+ participant has generation or load in the market. Ten states were listed as being members of a committee that is designed to advise the Markets+ stakeholder groups on policy issues and initiative prioritization as they draft the tariff language and protocols for the RTO’s proposed day-ahead market. (See SPP MPEC Briefs: April 18-19, 2023.)
The modified charter deletes the states’ names and adds language that “initial membership may include representatives from any of the states or provinces with entities that may plausibly choose to participate” in Markets+.
MSC Chair Eric Blank, chair of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, said during the April 28 conference call that California, Texas and South Dakota have all expressed interest in joining the committee. The Canadian province of British Columbia has also been mentioned as a possible member.
South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen, a member of a similar SPP committee in the Eastern Interconnection, joined the call to say her state would “love to be involved.” She pointed out that Black Hills Corp., which has subsidiaries that serve customers in eight states, is headquartered in South Dakota.
“I’ve been watching Black Hills Power for the last five years to see what they are going to possibly do and bringing them into the commission to ask them questions,” she said. “Markets+ is part of their strategy right now, so we look forward to working with you.”
Blank urged flexibility for the MSC, given the current state of flux surrounding Markets+, which is competing with CAISO’s extended day-ahead market, with some Western entities evaluating both.
“Given the uncertainty about the footprint, the shape of the table and the evolving policy and market context, I’m just hoping we’re as inclusive as reasonably possible,” he said. “I continue to believe that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and that we’re far stronger when we work together.”
The MSC also discussed initial points of contact to represent the committee on the various Markets+ working groups and task forces.
