One of two men charged with attacking electric substations in Washington state over the Christmas holiday has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

Two men were accused of damaging four electric substations in Washington — leaving thousands without power on Christmas — as a cover for a burglary plot.

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.

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

SPP’s plan to develop a market to compete with CAISO's Western EIM got a boost from utilities and energy customers in the Pacific Northwest.

CAISO's Western Energy Imbalance Market surpassed $2 billion in total member benefits only 20 months after hitting the $1 billion mark in 2020.

The Bonneville Power Administration is on target to enter the Western EIM in early May after executives made a final determination on its market readiness.

CAISO's Western Energy Imbalance Market hit a record $739 million in member benefits in 2021, putting its total close to $2 billion since it launched in 2014.

Washington utilities Avista and Tacoma Power will not delay their entry into the Western EIM, despite BPA’s decision to postpone joining by two months.

The Bonneville Power Administration said it will delay its entry into the Western EIM by two months to work out technical and training issues.