PacifiCorp Set to Join Western Day Ahead Market, Resource Adequacy Program

PacifiCorp announced on Dec. 8 that the company expects to participate in the California Independent System Operator Corp.’s (CAISO) Extended Day Ahead Market, or EDAM. This will allow the company to provide its customers with reliable, inexpensive and clean electricity when required. In addition to joining the EDAM, the company is also planning to join the Western Power Pool’s Western Resource Adequacy Program, or WRAP.

The EDAM is an extension of the current Western Energy Imbalance Market, or WEIM that has already provided PacifiCorp customers with over $500 million in savings since its launch in 2014. In addition to ensuring reliable supply during extreme weather events, the WEIM has helped PacifiCorp reduce carbon emissions by 35 million metric tons compared to pre-WEIM five-year average levels.

The EDAM is projected to become operational in 2024 and is subject to federal regulatory approval. In a statement announcing the participation, the utility said that the initial launch of the market will bring together the West’s two largest operators – PacifiCorp and CAISO.

PacifiCorp has also announced its participation in WRAP, which is projected to provide region wide reliability advantages to its members by coupling regional diversity with common resource adequacy standards. Participating in WRAP means members will be held to common planning standards to provide summer and winter peak loads.

Common planning standards, along with regional collaboration will allow the region to build a pool of resources, which can be used in circumstances of higher demand. This resource pool increases the reliability and will ensure security of supply for the entire region.

PacificCorp views both the EDAM and WRAP as vital elements of a modernized grid and the participation in both will allow for both a cleaner energy future, as well as provide reliable and cost effective electricity.