CAISO and Portland General Electric prepare for EDAM Go-Live
On October 1, 2026, Portland General Electric (PGE) will officially join the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), achieving another important milestone in the continued evolution of the Western energy market. This achievement reflects months of planning, testing, collaboration, and operational preparation between PGE and California ISO (ISO) and builds on more than a decade of Western Energy Imbalance Market benefits its customers have already received.
PGE joining EDAM not only strengthens regional coordination but also enables greater optimization of energy resources across the Western Interconnection. This partnership benefits the western region with enhanced market efficiency, greater grid reliability, and increased connectivity and load diversity.
As we approach the go-live date, it is worth recognizing the collective efforts that have positioned both organizations for a successful transition into production operations.
Building readiness through market simulation and parallel operations
Market simulation and parallel operations provided a critical foundation for implementation success. These simulation activities created an effective environment for exercising end-to-end business processes, validating system functionality, and familiarizing operational staff with EDAM workflows.
Beyond technical validation, the extensive testing program strengthened organizational readiness across both organizations. Key operational and market processes were confirmed as well as giving us chances to identify and resolve defects, address process gaps, and refine procedures before entering production operations. As a result, teams will enter go-live with increased confidence in their systems, processes, and operational capabilities.
A strong partnership from start to finish
One of the defining characteristics of the PGE onboarding effort has been the strong partnership established between ISO and PGE. Success was driven by consistent collaboration through recurring executive leadership touchpoints, onboarding stand-ups, implementation meetings, and cross-functional coordination forums.
PGE was pivotal throughout the process, working with our team to complete EDAM Readiness Criteria, coordinating on enhancement requests, and collaborating on comprehensive end-to-end operational training materials development. These training assets not only supported PGE's onboarding but will continue to provide lasting value for future entities joining EDAM.
The shared commitment to transparency, problem-solving, and continuous communication helped maintain momentum throughout the implementation and contributed significantly to overall readiness.
Addressing complex settlements challenges together
The workshop related to settlements, which refers to the calculation, billing, and invoicing of charges and payments for market and transmission-related activities between market participants and the ISO — presented a unique set of challenges. To address these challenges, the ISO and PGE held a series of dedicated settlements workshops and implemented a structured approach for reviewing known issues. Teams worked together to strengthen communication processes; PGE vendors played a particularly appreciated role to help clarify expectations for managing any defects in the process and to establish procedures to escalate the issue to resolve it as rapidly as possible.
This collaborative approach not only resolved immediate implementation concerns but also created stronger governance and communication practices that will support ongoing operations following PGE’s go-live.
Supporting PGE's third-party customers
Another important component of implementation readiness involved proactive outreach to PGE's third-party transmission customers. Throughout market simulation and parallel operations, teams engaged directly with customers to encourage testing participation, answer questions, and help ensure readiness for activation.
This outreach effort promoted greater market preparedness across the broader participant community and helped facilitate a smoother transition into production operations.
Applying lessons learned and raising the bar
The PGE onboarding benefited significantly from lessons learned during the earlier PacifiCorp onboarding, the first market participant when EDAM launched in May. With each participant added to the market, CAISO is able to incorporate new improvements, which help drive value and streamline processes for future participants.
These lessons learned include:
- Testing data availability and management
- Scheduling and coordination practices
- E-Tagging processes to schedule, approve, and track wholesale electricity transactions and transfers between balancing areas and transmission providers
- Increased Market education and understanding
- Enhanced Communication and transparency
- Operational preparedness and readiness activities
Because of what was learned during PacifiCorp’s implementation, PGE and the ISO established stronger planning processes, improved coordination across workstreams, and increased overall implementation effectiveness. While significant progress has been made, these efforts are ongoing and room for improvement is always welcome. As we have done from the start with the Western Energy Imbalance Market, the ISO remains is committed to refining processes, tools, and support models as additional entities join the EDAM market and any new issues emerge.
Looking Ahead
The upcoming EDAM go-live for PGE represents more than the onboarding of a new participant. It demonstrates the value of strong partnerships, disciplined testing, continuous improvement, and a shared commitment to market excellence.
We thank the PGE team, ISO staff, and all market participants who contributed to this successful effort. Their dedication, collaboration, and focus on readiness have positioned PGE for a successful transition into the Extended Day-Ahead Market.
We look forward to welcoming PGE into the EDAM community on October 1st, so the utility and its customers can enjoy the benefits of this growing energy market.
