Southwest Power Pool seeks westward expansion opportunities

Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a certified electricity reliability coordinator (RC), is looking to expand west to facilitate more efficient deployment of generation and use of the region’s transmission system.

“SPP has experience not only building and administering electricity markets, but specifically doing it to meet the needs of a diverse group of customers,” Carl Monroe, SPP’s chief operating officer, said. “There seems to be growing interest in organized markets in the west and SPP believes we’re uniquely equipped to provide service and benefits no one else can.”

SPP, which has provided electric reliability one way or another since 1941, is calling on interested utilities and other customers to join in the design and implementation of a market that will meet the electricity needs of the Western Interconnection.

“SPP understands western utilities’ system needs and approach to business,” Nick Brown, SPP president and CEO, said. “Utilities have the daunting task of ensuring electric reliability and affordability for their customers. It’s been our experience that energy imbalance markets are a wonderful way to accomplish that.”

Last September, SPP noted it would serve as RC for numerous western utilities beginning in December 2019. Since that time, it’s been in close collaboration with new customers, future neighboring RCs and regulatory stakeholders to finalize plans for the governance and operation of its western reliability coordination services.