Governance should be a “key consideration” for the West in the competition between day-ahead electricity markets because the outcome potentially affects $25 billion a year in energy transactions, according to a new “issue alert.”

Electricity sector stakeholders expressed divisions over BPA's plan to pursue an aggressive timeline for deciding whether to join CAISO’s EDAM or SPP’s Markets+.

SPP Markets+ stakeholders kicked off the development phase of a proposed “RTO-light” service in the West, heating up the race with CAISO.

SPP has rolled out the governance structure that will oversee the first developmental phase of Markets+, its day-ahead and real-time market in the West.

SPP has executed funding agreements with eight Western Interconnection entities for the first phase of its Markets+ market, accelerating its development.

Nearly a dozen utilities committed to joining the “binding” iteration of the Western Resource Adequacy Program, with more expected to sign on later this month.

The proposed governance structure for SPP's Markets+ service offering and resource adequacy are two key differences with CAISO's RTO proposal.

FERC Chair Richard Glick made his first in-person visit to SPP’s headquarters last week, joining stakeholders for their regular quarterly governance meeting.

Seven Western entities have now expressed support for participating in the next phase of SPP's market development in the Western Interconnection.