Press Releases

August 1, 2022

Southwest Power Pool’s western electricity market grows with addition of Colorado Springs Utilities

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After more than a year of preparation, Colorado Springs Utilities became an active participant in Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) market at midnight on August 1, 2022. SPP’s WEIS market enhances the reliability and affordability of wholesale electricity by serving the real-time demand for electricity with the lowest-cost generating resources available in the market at any given time.

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January 25, 2022

Colorado utilities plan to join the Western Energy Imbalance Service Market

Xcel Energy-Colorado, Platte River Power Authority and Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC announced plans today to join the Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) Market, operated by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

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August 3, 2021

Northwest Power Pool to Hire Southwest Power Pool to Provide Program Operator Services for Resource Adequacy Program under Development

Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) intends to hire Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) to provide program operator services in its effort to develop a resource adequacy program for interested utilities in the West.

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July 27, 2021

SPP board of directors approves western RTO expansion terms and conditions

Southwest Power Pool’s board of directors and Strategic Planning Committee approved the submitted policy-level terms and conditions for regional transmission organization (RTO) expansion in the Western Interconnection during its quarterly joint stakeholder meeting July 27.

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May 12, 2021

Colorado Springs Utilities joins Southwest Power Pool’s western market, will evaluate RTO membership

Colorado Springs Utilities will join Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) Market in April 2022 and join other western utilities in evaluating membership in SPP’s regional transmission organization (RTO).

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April 9, 2021

Additional utility joins evaluation of RTO expansion to the west; study anticipates $49M in annual savings for current and new members

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP) received a letter from Western Area Power Administration’s (WAPA) Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) expressing interest in evaluating membership in the organization.

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February 1, 2021

Southwest Power Pool expands offerings to western utilities with launch of new electricity market

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) launched its Western Energy Imbalance Services (WEIS) market at midnight Feb. 1. The real-time balancing market is the latest of SPP’s contract-based Western Energy Services to be implemented in the Western Interconnection and is expected to lower wholesale electricity costs, increase price transparency, and mitigate congestion on the transmission system for market participants.

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December 23, 2020

SPP receives approval of western market tariff

On Dec. 23, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Western Energy Imbalance Services (WEIS) tariff. The commission’s order paves the way for SPP’s planned launch of the real-time balancing market on Feb. 1, 2021. It comes after SPP entered into a period of parallel operations with its market participants in early December, during which participants continue testing and training in the WEIS market’s production environment.

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November 12, 2020

SPP and stakeholders will consider RTO expansion to the west; study anticipates $49M in annual savings for current and new members

Little Rock, Ark. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has received letters from several western utilities committing to evaluate membership in the organization. An SPP Brattle study found that the move would be mutually beneficial and produce $49 million a year in savings. Additionally, 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.

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September 1, 2020

SPP’s role in western reliability continues to grow with addition of new customers in four states

Southwest Power Pool’s western reliability coordination service will expand in 2021 with the addition of eight new generating resources managed by Gridforce Energy Management in Washington, Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico. The agreement with Gridforce comes as SPP finishes its first year ensuring reliability on behalf of customers in the Western Interconnection.

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