SPP's western stakeholders have endorsed large chunks of tariff language that define how the day-ahead Markets+ will handle market transmission use, congestion management, transmission capacity obligations, market manipulation, and confidentiality.

Many at the joint conference focused on the eventual result of the contest between CAISO's Extended Day-Ahead Market and SPP's Markets+ to organize the West's electricity market.

The competition for organized markets in the West grew Friday as the Bonneville Power Administration launched a process to choose between day-ahead markets proposed by CAISO and SPP and regulators from five Western states urged the establishment of a new, independent RTO covering the entire West.

The proposed governance structure for SPP's Markets+ service offering and resource adequacy are two key differences with CAISO's RTO proposal.

SPP has posted its Markets+ draft service offering that lays out the RTO’s proposal to “modernize and enhance” the western grid’s operation.

The Western Markets Exploratory Group made a rare public presentation at CREPC-WIRAB of its behind-the-scenes work evaluating market options for the West.

Commissioners Mark Christie and James Danly addressed the pros and cons of the West’s pursuit of greater market coordination at the fall CREPC-WIRAB meeting.

Western utilities interested in SPP’s RTO West offering released a study showing the grid operator’s expansion could produce huge annual savings.

SPP’s Board of Directors approved stakeholders’ recommendation to issue a notification to construct a 345-kV double-circuit transmission project in New Mexico.

A group of Western utilities plans to help SPP develop its Markets+ program in the West and to examine the benefits of joining it or CAISO's day-ahead market.