Getting started

Learn about all the different ways to participate in our markets and transmission operations, and find the resources to do business with us.

Looking for ways to participate?

Stay up to date on the ISO’s ongoing activities by checking the calendar for upcoming meetings, signing up for the Daily Briefing email, and keep current by participating in the meetings below.

Governance and committees

Board of Governors - monthly
The board shapes policies, approves grid planning and market design changes, and reviews and approves the annual ISO budget.

Western Energy Markets Governing Body - monthly
The Governing Body shapes and approves rules specific to participation in the Western Energy Imbalance and Extended Day-Ahead Markets. 

Market Surveillance Committee Meeting - every two months
Reporting at the bimonthly governance meetings, the Committee provides comments and recommendations on the ISO market monitoring process and a variety of market issues.

Market

Market Simulation Forum - frequency varies
Offers market participants an opportunity to test systems and procedures prior to implementation, promoting smoother launches.

Market Performance and Planning Forum - quarterly 
Review and discuss market performance issues, release planning, implementation and market enhancements.

Market Update - every two weeks
Review updates on the weekly market performance and weekly price correction reports. Frequency: every two weeks

Policy

Policy initiatives - frequency varies
Stakeholders can participate in the development and implementation of new market designs, policies and infrastructure planning

Recurring processes - frequency varies
Stakeholders can participate in the planning processes for a variety of functions at the ISO.

Business Practice Manual Change Management Meeting - monthly
Review of proposed review request changes to the Business Practice Manuals.

User groups

Release User Group (RUG) - every two weeks
Review market initiatives including project milestones and deliverables.

Technical User Group (TUG) - every two weeks
Brainstorm and evaluate solutions for technology and process-based problems; excludes discussions on release dates and plans, project status and policy. 

Settlement User Group (SUG) - every two weeks
Market participants and RC West customers discuss ISO initiatives impacting settlements and invoicing.

Regional

Western Energy Markets Regional Issues Forum - quarterly 
A forum led by 12 sector liaisons to facilitate discussion on broad issues relating to the Western Energy Markets. 

First time interacting with the ISO?

Before diving into the pages below, we highly recommend reviewing our computer based trainings in the Training Center to better understand our markets, operations, and participation types.

Generation

Generator interconnection

Learn what it means to interconnect to the grid. Start here if you're a resource interconnecting at the transmission level.
New resource implementation

This is where generators connecting at the distribution level should finalize the process with the ISO. Generators connecting at the transmission level will also find guidelines and steps for final days of the process.  
Become a participating generator

Learn about the certification process and requirements to participate in the ISO market.
Distributed energy resource

Process and requirements for aggregation of distributed energy resources to participate in the ISO market.
Dynamic transfers

Learn more about dynamic transfers and the process for implementation.
Storage

Opportunities for storage technologies to participate in ancillary services and energy markets.
Metered subsystems

Learn how metered subsystems can participate in the market.

Transmission

Transmission planning

Engage in the transmission planning process.
Transmission operations

The ISO's operations reporting, coordination and maintenance efforts ensure a reliable system.
Participating transmission owner

Consider turning over operational control to the ISO and collect access charges from users.
Interregional transmission coordination

The ISO and regional entities throughout the western interconnection collaborate to ensure regional transmission stability and efficiency. These coordination efforts inform each entity’s transmission plans.

Load

Load serving entity

Learn more about procuring extra energy and using a scheduling coordinator to participate in the market.

Market and operations

Utility distribution company

Utility distribution companies play a key role in how the ISO manages energy schedules, learn more.
Ancillary services

Learn more about how ancillary services are traded in ISO markets: regulation up, regulation down, spinning reserve and non-spinning reserve.
Demand response

Demand response providers with the ability to aggregate customers can participate in the ISO day-ahead, real-time and ancillary services markets.
Congestion revenue rights

Learn more about these Financial instruments that can be used by their holders to offset congestion charges that may arise in the day-ahead market.
Convergence bidding

Learn more about this market feature allows a scheduling coordinator representing a registered convergence bidding entity to submit bids in the day-ahead market.

Other participation opportunities

Scheduling coordinator

Become a scheduling coordinator or find one to act on your behalf.
Extended Day-Ahead Market

The Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) is a voluntary day-ahead electricity market designed to deliver significant reliability, economic, and environmental benefits to balancing areas and utilities throughout the West. 
Western Energy Imbalance Market

The ISO’s Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is a real-time energy market, the first of its kind in the western United States.
RC West

An RC oversees grid compliance with federal and regional grid standards, and can determine measures to prevent or mitigate system emergencies in day-ahead or real-time operations.
Back to top