Two new entities will join the WEIM in May, extending market footprint to a 12th Western state
The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) continues to grow. The real-time market, which has delivered more than $8 billion in economic benefits to its members and their customers since 2014, will soon have two new participants and a new state to operate in. The WEIM, which helps utilities efficiently buy and sell least-cost power close to the time it is used, will be joined in May by Black Hills Energy and PowerWatch (formerly BHE Montana).
This growth in the market comes at nearly the same time as the start of the Extended Day-Ahead Market launching May 1 with PacifiCorp. In addition to bringing more diverse resources into the WEIM, adding Black Hills Energy enhances the geographic diversity of the market footprint by extending it into South Dakota as the market’s 12th Western state. And that helps with reliability because a geographically broader market makes it easier to share resources and utilize existing transmission connectivity.
After 18 months of preparation between the entities and the ISO, Black Hills Energy and PowerWatch have successfully entered WEIM parallel operations, which is a test-run of market operations conducted as part of the onboarding process to ensure a reliable and proficient market.
Both entities and the ISO are working to complete all remaining readiness criteria by mid-March, after which a readiness certification is filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in preparation for their Go-Live date of May 6.
“We are honored to welcome Black Hills Energy and PowerWatch into the WEIM,” Elliot Mainzer, the ISO’s president and CEO, said. “The continued growth of our markets delivers real economic benefits to market participants and their customers and is a proven strategy for improved reliability and affordability throughout the region.”
Black Hills Energy is based in Rapid City, SD and operates natural gas and electric utilities. The company serves 1.35 million natural gas and electricity customers in eight states. Visit www.blackhillsenergy.com for more information.
PowerWatch (formerly BHE Montana) is the second generation-only balancing authority committed to participate in the WEIM, with its real-time operations center in Great Falls, MT. As a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, it is dedicated to producing and delivering reliable and affordable energy to customers through a growth portfolio of diverse energy assets. Visit www.bhemontana.com for more information.
