New findings from a much-anticipated study have “not shifted” BPA's staff recommendation that the agency choose SPP’s Markets+ over CAISO’s — despite results showing greater economic benefits from EDAM.
Leaders of four large utilities reflected on the evolution of Western markets and looked toward the future at CAISO’s Stakeholder Symposium, emphasizing a shift toward more collaboration as large industry players choose which day-ahead market to join.
The Western Area Power Administration said its Sierra Nevada region will pursue “final negotiations” to join CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market, notching another — if expected — victory for the ISO in its competition with SPP’s Markets+.
NV Energy’s decision to join CAISO's Extended Day-Ahead Market rather than SPP's Markets+ was based partly on concerns that participation in the latter would “lead to substantial expenditures with limited results,” a representative of the Nevada utility said.
The Bonneville Power Administration’s commitment to fund the second phase of SPP’s Markets+ won’t be swayed by the departure of the executive leading the agency’s day-ahead market initiative, an official told the Markets+ Participants Executive Committee.
A group of Southwest electric cooperatives explore ways to motivate the Western Area Power Administration’s Desert Southwest Region to join CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market.
An SPP executive closely involved with developing Markets+ said recent Brattle Group studies on Western day-ahead markets appear to be aimed more at swaying utilities in favor of CAISO’s EDAM than providing an unbiased assessment.
Markets+ proponents argue that the SPP framework allows more flexibility for integrating greenhouse gas emission reduction programs across various states than CAISO’s EDAM.
The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative has revised its “regional organization” stakeholder process proposal to expand the size of a key stakeholder committee and boost representation for some groups.
The study comparing key features of CAISO’s EDAM and SPP’s Markets+ contains “several material misstatements of facts” and overlooks evidence “directly contrary to its conclusions,” Powerex contends.
