Thousands of customers of Avista Utilities lost power during a record-smashing heat wave when the utility ordered rolling blackouts in Spokane, Wash.

Presenters at a webinar shared details about the proposed organizational structure for the Northwest Power Pool's proposed resource adequacy program.

FERC Chairman Richard Glick says "the time is right for the states, the region’s utilities and other key stakeholders" to form one or more Western RTOs.

SPP CEO Barbara Sugg briefed WECC’s Board of Directors last week on the RTO’s efforts in the Western Interconnection and potential benefits for stakeholders there, including full membership in SPP’s proposed RTO West. SPP operates as a reliability coordinator in parts of the West and is helping the Northwest Power Pool develop a multistate resource …

Continue reading "SPP CEO Pitches WECC on Western Benefits"

During a meeting of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners, regulators shared strategies for dealing with heat waves, cold snaps and wildfires.

FERC accepted penalties against a number of entities, including Entergy and the Tennessee Valley Authority, for violations of NERC reliability standards.

Utility wildfire experts told WECC that another expected year of hot, dry weather will increase the danger of major fires in the West.

Western states must work more closely to prevent capacity shortfalls and the type of energy crisis that roiled the region 20 years ago.

BPA will this summer join the ranks of Western transmission providers adopting a public safety power shutoff plan to prevent wildfires.

FERC Chair Richard Glick and NERC CEO James Robb: The West needs to build transmission lines to connect renewable resources to load.