October 29, 2024

SPP stakeholders celebrate 20 years, approve annual budget, elect 2025 board and committee members

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP) convened its Board of Directors, Members Committee and Regional State Committee (RSC) Oct. 28 and 29 in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the groups’ quarterly meetings, the RSC conducted officer elections for 2025, and SPP stakeholders elected board and Members Committee representatives for new terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Stakeholders also celebrated the 20th anniversary of SPP’s designation as a regional transmission organization (RTO).

 SPP's RSC comprises retail regulatory commissioners from states across the RTO’s service territory. It provides collective state regulatory agency input on matters of regional importance related to the development and operation of the regional power grid. The RSC elected its 2025 officers: Pat O'Connell of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will serve as RSC president, Chuck Hutchison of the Nebraska Power Review Board will serve as vice president and Kim David of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will serve as secretary/treasurer.

 Representatives of SPP’s member organizations elect board members on staggered terms and stakeholder representatives that advise the board via the SPP Members Committee.

 Board chair John Cupparo, Susan Certoma and Ben Trowbridge were all reelected to three-year board terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

 The following individuals were elected to the Members Committee where they will represent sectors of SPP member companies:

  • Investor-owned utility sector: Tim Wilson (Liberty Utilities) and Denise Buffington (Evergy Companies)
  • Cooperative sector: Zac Perkins (Tri-County Electric Cooperative) and Mike Wise (Golden Spread Electric Cooperative)
  • State agency sector: Robert Pick (Nebraska Public Power District)
  • Independent power producer/marketer sector: Kevin Smith (Tenaska Power Services) and Brett White (Pine Gate Renewables)
  • Public interest/alternative power sector: Christy Walsh (Natural Resources Defense Council)

 SPP also marked the 20th anniversary of its designation as an RTO. SPP formed in 1941 and earned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s RTO designation in October 2004, allowing the organization to provide more reliability services and economic benefits to its members. Over the last two decades, SPP has expanded from seven to 14 states; directed investment of $12.5 billion in transmission with benefit-to-cost ratios of 5-to-1 or better; launched multiple wholesale energy markets in the Eastern and Western Interconnections, which have produced more than $10 billion in cumulative savings; and reliably facilitated a tenfold increase in wind energy. More on the RTO’s anniversary is in this Oct. 7, 2024 release.

 The board also approved the organization’s 2025 operating budget.

Meghan Sever , 501-482-2393, msever@spp.org