Western Services
Latest News:
- April 10, 2023: SPP's Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) provides millions in benefits, more than doubles in size.
- April 4, 2023: SPP announced the 31 parties who executed agreements to participate in the first phase of Markets+ development.
- March 14, 2023: SPP announced details of the governance structure that will oversee phase-one development of Markets+, its day-ahead and real-time western market.
- March 2, 2023: SPP announced several parties have executed funding agreements for the development of Markets+, its western energy market.
SPP’s Western Energy Services is a family of contract-based products offered to utilities in the Western Interconnection.
Markets+
Markets+ is more than just a day-ahead market offering. It’s a conceptual bundle of services proposed by SPP that would centralize day-ahead and real-time unit commitment and dispatch, utilize hurdle-free transmission service across its footprint and pave the way for the reliable integration of a rapidly growing fleet of renewable generation. For utilities that see value in these services but who aren’t ready to pursue full membership in a regional transmission organization (RTO) at this time, Markets+ provides a voluntary, incremental opportunity to realize significant benefits.
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RTO West
In July 2021, Southwest Power Pool’s board of directors and Strategic Planning Committee approved the submitted policy-level terms and conditions for RTO expansion in the Western Interconnection. A November 2020 SPP Brattle study found that the move would be mutually beneficial and produce $49 million a year in savings. SPP anticipates its wholesale electricity market, resource adequacy program and other regionalized services can help western members achieve renewable-energy goals, reinforce system reliability and leverage new opportunities to buy, sell and trade power. Subsequent studies will yield further insight into the potential benefits for all involved parties.
Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) Market
SPP's WEIS market launched in February 2021 and balances generation and load regionally and in real time for participants in the Western Interconnection. Utilities do not have to be a member of the SPP RTO to participate. The market centrally dispatches energy from participating resources throughout the region every five minutes, enhancing both the reliability and affordability of electricity delivery from utilities to their customers.
Western Reliability Coordination
SPP has served as Reliability Coordinator (RC) for customers in the Western Interconnection since December 2019. SPP has operated as a reliability coordinator certified by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation in the Eastern Interconnection for more than two decades. The chance to provide services to new customers in the west represents an opportunity to enhance reliability in the Western Interconnection while simultaneously benefitting SPP’s existing customers through economies of scale and resulting cost savings.
Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP)
SPP serves as program operator for Western Power Pool's Western Resource Adequacy Program. As program operator, SPP performs forward showing and operations program functions, modeling and system analytics, real-time operations, continual technical improvement and IT systems work.
Western Interconnection Unscheduled Flow Mitigation Plan
A group of six utilities have selected SPP to administer the Western Interconnection Unscheduled Flow Mitigation Plan (WIUFMP), a blueprint for the use of certain controllable devices in the mitigation of congestion along transmission lines in the west.