Southwest Power Pool Pushes West
Southwest Power Pool Inc., the electric grid and wholesale power market management nonprofit based in Little Rock, is putting some emphasis on the “west” in its name.
This week, it pushed westward with its selection by six utilities of the Western Interconnection to administer a blueprint for using technology to cut energy congestion on power transmission lines.
The Western Connection encompasses the power grid in 11 western states and a sliver of Texas, as well as two provinces in western Canada and part of Mexico.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted the blueprint, known as the Western Interconnection Unscheduled Flow Mitigation Plan, in 2016. SPP will oversee the use of phase-shifting transformers and other devices on power lines on behalf of the California Independent System Operator, NorthWestern Energy, NV Energy, PacifiCorp, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, and the Western Area Power Administration.
“We’re proud the QOOs [qualified owners and operators of the transformers and other devices] in the Western Interconnection recognize our expertise in ensuring reliability, managing the grid and managing complex settlement processes,” Carl Monroe, SPP’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a news release. “This expansion of our service offerings comes at an exciting time as we’re looking for opportunities to bring SPP’s customer-focused business model to the West.”
