Western Grid Energy Balancing Markets & What Comes Next

March 28-29, 2022 | Online ::

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This symposium will present a comprehensive survey of the energy balancing markets operating in the general footprint of the western interconnection, as well as the innovations contemplated for the years to come – including possible RTO expansion.  It will pinpoint the exact issues the energy balancing markets are addressing, how well they are performing those functions for the utilities and balancing areas that operate within them, and what critical functions still separate these energy balancing organizations from a full-fledged regional transmission organization.  And it will take a deep dive into what appears to be an acceptance of, and pivot towards, a western grid RTO.

Learning Outcomes

• Discuss how energy balancing markets are transforming the western grid
• Evaluate the CAISO EIM and SPP EIS western energy balancing market structures and how they compare
• Examine the impact of energy balancing markets on multiple utility measures
• Consider the pending energy balancing market enhancements and their incremental value
• Assess – beyond energy balancing – what are the realistic prospects of a RTO
• Compare RTO expanded benefits to enhanced energy balancing markets
• Identify what’s different about the future that might make a western grid RTO more compelling than in the past
• Analyze whether a transition path exists for a pivot from multiple energy balancing markets to a western grid RTO

Monday, March 28, 2022 : Central Time

 

9:00 – 9:20 a.m. :: Overview & Introductions

9:20 – 10:45 a.m. :: How Energy Balancing Markets are Transforming the Thinking of Energy Providers in the Western Grid

• Operating improvements
• Avoided costs
• Resource deployment
• Bottom-line benefits

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. :: Afternoon Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. :: Market Opportunities in the Western Grid…

• Established Energy Balancing Markets
• CAISO EIM
• SPP EIS
• Resource Adequacy Market Offering
• Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP)

12:45 – 1:30 p.m. :: Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:00 p.m. :: …And a Meta Survey of Studies as to How They Compare

• Characteristics
• Operational adjustments required to operate within each system
• Expenses associated with operating in each system
• Studies, research and analysis that project benefits for involvement in each system
• Barriers to entry
• Ongoing costs and the annualized payback of the initial implementation costs
• Technical benefits
• Policy benefits
• Operational benefits
• Utility and balancing area perspectives
• State energy policy perspectives
• Regional planning coordination perspectives
• Stakeholder perspectives

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. :: …And Their Impact On – 

• Member utilities operations
• Member utilities “bottom line”
• Bi-lateral contract transaction volumes
• Achievement of organizational and state imposed de-carbonization clean energy objectives
• “Statehouse” management and control of its energy policies
• System and member efficiencies

4:45 p.m. :: Symposium Adjourns for Day

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 : Central Time

 

9:00 – 10:30 a.m. :: Energy Balancing Market Enhancements & Their Incremental Value

• CAISO EIM EDAM
• SPP EIS Markets+

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. :: Comparing RTO Benefits to Enhanced Energy Balancing Markets

• What’s more robust about a RTO, as compared to just an energy balancing market with real-time enhancements?
• What additional operational, financial and regulatory burdens and overhead come with a RTO that don’t encumber an energy balancing market?
• Are there additional modifications that could be incorporated to energy balancing markets that could bring their value closer to a RTO without the consequent burdens and overhead?
• Which structure – energy balancing market or RTO – offers a better “future-proof” western grid sufficiency strategy?
• “Scale Modeling” RTO Initiatives concepts & variations
  • SPP RTO West
  • CAISO EDAM expansion
  • Western Markets Exploratory Group (WMEG)
  • Other

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. :: Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45 p.m. :: Beyond Energy Balancing – The Natural Pivot to a Western Grid RTO

• What’s different about the future that might make a RTO more compelling than in the past?
• Accelerating, high penetration of renewables
• Climate change impacts
• De-carbonization requirements
• Capacity shortfalls
• FERC role and available measures

2:45 – 3:00 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

3:00 – 4:45 p.m. :: What Elements of a RTO Are Desirable and What Combination Can Satisfy Western Needs?

• What could prove to be the tipping point?
• Weighing the dollars and sense
  • What more can be determined about the magnitude of infrastructure deferrals or efficiencies that a western grid RTO might yield?
  • Is monetary savings – the “bottom line” – the only gauge that matters or are there others?
  • Will all prospective utilities, LSEs and balancing areas have to agree to join a RTO or can it be implemented on an incremental basis?
  • An essential requirement for a western-wide RTO is boosting transmission and resource exchange opportunities; are there other initiatives that might achieve, or supplement that outcome?
  • Is there a single – or are there multiple – transition path(s) exist from energy balancing market to RTO?

4:45 p.m. :: Event Adjournment

Gregg Carrington, Chief Operating Officer, Northwest Power Pool (NWPP).

Gregg Carrington is chief operating officer of the Northwest Power Pool (NWPP).  In that capacity, he supports regional program development activities, including the Northwest Power Pool’s development of a regional Resource Adequacy program, as well as day-to-day functions of the NWPP, including system operations and the NWPP’s implementation of contingency reserve and western frequency reserve sharing programs.  Before joining NWPP in 2020, Mr. Carrington served as Managing Director of Energy Resources at Chelan PUD, where he had worked for the previous 23 years.  There his duties included directing energy planning and trading, energy conservation, regulatory and government affairs, environmental resources, engineering, and licensing and compliance.  Mr. Carrington’s other industry experience includes roles at Duke Engineering and Services (formerly Northrop, Devine & Tarbell), Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in Syracuse, New York, and Morrison-Knudsen Engineering, Gregg evaluated over 180 electric generation projects across the U.S. 

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Caitlin Liotiris, Principal, Energy Strategies (invited)

Caitlin Liotiris is Principal of Energy Strategies, where she leads many of the firm’s efforts in electricity market development, regional transmission planning and policy, and energy procurement arenas.  Her primary work efforts include advocacy at regional forums, performing market and regulatory evaluations, and facilitating the incorporation of new policies and market structures into the firm’s modeling tools.  For more than a decade, Ms Liotiris has been actively involved in transmission development throughout the West.  She co-authored several studies on the benefits of new transmission and currently supports Order 1000 regional transmission planning efforts. She also brings a broad and deep knowledge of state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs), utilities’ plans to comply with these requirements, and market fundamentals related to renewable energy, especially in the West. Ms. Liotiris has been active in the development of an Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) in the Western Interconnection since it was conceptualized in 2010 and remains deeply involved in the policy discussions aimed at expanding organized markets in the West.  She joined Energy Strategies in 2006. She currently sits on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council’s Standards Committee and previously served as a representative on the Peak Reliability Member Advisory Committee.

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Heidi Ratz, Senior Manager – Policy and Market Innovations, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA)

Heidi Ratz is Clean Energy Business Alliance’s (CEBA’s) Senior Manager of Policy and Market Innovations. In her role she works to accelerate new policy approaches to decarbonization and supports CEBA’s engagement on organized wholesale market design, structure, and governance. Previously, she worked at the World Resources Institute (WRI) where she examined clean energy barriers in utility planning and wholesale market design while supporting cities expanding their regulatory engagement to address these issues. Prior to WRI, Ms Ratz worked at the Brattle Group where she contributed to a variety of client projects with a focus on new business models for electric utilities, “Utility of the Future” developments, performance-based regulation, and energy storage. She holds a B.A. in Art History and an MBA from Salisbury University, as well as a Masters of Public Administration – Policy Track in Environmental Policy from University of Maryland.

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Bobby Olsen, Director – Supply & Trading, Salt River Project

Bobby Olsen is Director of Supply and Trading at Salt River Project, where he leads the development and implementation of SRP’s strategic fuel procurement policy governing the procurement and trading associated with SRP’s coal, fuel oil, and nuclear fuel requirements and associated logistics and transportation. Over the 17 years he has worked at the utility, in addition to his current role he has served as director of fuels, manager of generation project services, senior mechanical engineer and engineer. Mr. Olsen earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northern Arizona University

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

• IMPORTANT NOTE: After November 30 you will not be able to join a Teams meeting using Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft recommends downloading and installing the Teams app if possible. You may also use the Edge browser or Chrome.
• You will receive a meeting invitation will include a link to join the meeting.
• Separate meeting invitations will be sent for the morning and afternoon sessions of the course.
  • You will need to join the appropriate meeting at the appropriate time.
• If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
• The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all attendees for 7 days after the event

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Western Grid Energy Balancing Markets & What Comes Next

March 28-29, 2022 | Online

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before February 25, 2022 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 1.3 CEUs for this event.

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must log in each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

Case studies and PowerPoint presentations will be used in this program.

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Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Course CPE Credits: 15.5
There is no prerequisite for this Course.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Advanced Preparation: None

EUCI is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org

 

 

Who Should Attend

• Resource planning
• Financial analysis
• Regulatory affairs
• Real-time operations
• Structuring
• Markets
• Transmission planning
• Generation services
• Energy supply management
• Energy accounting and general accounting
• Middle and back office
• Power delivery
• System operations
• State commission staff