Southwest Power Pool gains commitments to Markets+ development from 11 Arizona entities

According to Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a total of 11 entities from Arizona committed to supporting the next phase of its Market+ program developments as of last week.

Combined, the pledged entities represent more than 20,000 MW of peak demand for the American Southwest.

In a letter dispatched Aug. 31, 2022, the four latest Arizona entities to join – Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Arizona Public Service Company, Salt River Project, and Tucson Electric Power – declared an interest in working with SPP to build a market with a robust design and workable governance framework.

With this announcement, SPP has received interest in supporting the next phase of Markets+ development from entities serving over 50,000 MW of combined peak demand.

“We are pleased by the Arizona entities’ announcement to commit to phase one of Markets+ development,” SPP President and CEO Barbara Sugg said. “Adding the desert southwest region to the development of this market adds more value for all participants, and we very much appreciate the contributions from these entities thus far.”

Markets+ is a centralized bundle of services SPP proposed to tackle matters such as governance structure, market design, and transmission availability through a day-ahead and real-time market. Integration would be its primary goal, with renewable generation firmly in sight. It’s been in development since December 2021, and membership would be entirely voluntary.

“This will be an important milestone that will enable us to collectively move forward to the next phase,” the companies wrote.