Portland General Electric could join CAISO Energy Imbalance Market
CAISO has been operating since November 2014 in parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. It now includes the active participation of the Warren Buffett-owned PacifiCorp utilities, and will soon include NV Energy, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), and Arizona Public Service (APS).
Because of access to a wide geographic dispersion of resources, the EIM has reduced fossil fuel use in favor of low-cost renewables to meet short-term imbalances in supply and demand. PacifiCorp and the ISO saved a combined $21.4 million over the first eight months of operation.
In PGE’s current integrated resource planning, it weighed participation in a similar Northwest PowerPool initiative. Other western utilities’ decisions convinced PGE the Buffett-backed ISO EIM was the better choice.
Nevada’s NV Energy, also owned by BHE, will go active in the ISO’s EIM in November. Washington’s PSE and Arizona’s APS plan to participate by October 2016.
