Utilities should put customer benefits first when deciding on which Western day-ahead electricity market to join, New Mexico Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera said.

Utility staff charged with managing real-time operations will be equipped to deal with the seams between two Western day-ahead markets, but the situation will be far from ideal, Western state energy officials heard at the CREPC-WIRAB spring conference.

State regulators have launched a process to develop “guiding principles” regarding participation in a regional day-ahead market or RTO.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed three members to the state’s revamped Public Regulation Commission, which previously had five elected members.