The Bonneville Power Administration’s planned departure from the Western Energy Imbalance Market has prompted questions about how the agency will handle the yearlong period before it joins SPP’s Markets+.

The Western Power Pool’s WRAP secured enough participants for the program to enter the first binding phase after 11 utilities reaffirmed their commitment.

The Bonneville Power Administration’s first day-ahead markets workshop since issuing the draft policy stating its intention to join SPP’s Markets+ left little opportunity for critics to probe agency officials about the decision.

Nearly a dozen utilities committed to joining the “binding” iteration of the Western Resource Adequacy Program, with more expected to sign on later this month.

NWPP took its first steps implementing its Western Resource Adequacy Program, allowing participants to submit resource data for a “nonbinding” phase.