December 9, 2022
Western Resource Advocates praises the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) on its final proposal for the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), a day-ahead electricity market that CAISO first proposed in 2019.
“We commend CAISO for this timely final proposal on EDAM, which is expected to unlock significant benefits for integrating clean energy resources into the Western Interconnection,” said Vijay Satyal, WRA’s regional energy markets manager. “WRA and public interest allies want a transparent, fair and robust market in the West, and the EDAM proposal is a big step in that direction. Our goal is one large footprint for an organized wholesale market that ensures reliability and supports a decarbonized future.”
WRA also welcomes the announcement by PacifiCorp that it plans to join the EDAM and the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP), which is managed by the Western Power Pool. WRAP is expected to provide regionwide reliability benefits to it participants.
PacifiCorp and CAISO are the largest grid operators in the West. If approved by federal regulators, the EDAM will begin operation in 2024 and connect the two operators.
“PacifiCorp’s participation in the well-designed day-ahead market will reliably leverage renewable resources while cutting fuel costs and fossil-fuel emissions,” said Nancy Kelly, a senior policy advisor at WRA. “We applaud PacifiCorp for its decision to join the EDAM. By contributing its vast transmission network and diverse resource mix to the EDAM, PacifiCorp will help jump-start the market’s success.”
The proposed EDAM builds upon the Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM), a real-time energy imbalance market, established by PacifiCorp and CAISO in 2014. Nineteen utilities in 10 states have joined the Western EIM, and it has produced more than $3 billion in economic benefits.
The final EDAM proposal will be brought to the CAISO Board of Governors and Western EIM Governing Body for a decision Feb. 1, and will be filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission later in 2023.
Contact:
James Quirk, 720-763-3744, james.quirk@westernresources.org
