NEWS FROM WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct.
17, 2005
CONTACT: Carolyn Hinkley, 720-962-7053
, hinkley@wapa.gov
WESTERN TO UPGRADE MISO MEMBERSHIP
LAKEWOOD , Colo. — The Marketing Office of Western Area Power Administration’s Upper Great Plains Region decided to upgrade its Midwest Independent System Operator membership from a market participant to a non-transmission facilities owner. Joining the Midwest Independent System Operator as a non-transmission owner will benefit the Upper Great Plains regional customers, managers decided after an analysis last month.
"We will realize benefits by being more involved in the MISO committee structure," said Bob Harris, Western's Upper Great Plains regional manager. "By having our marketing function join MISO, Western will gain a voice in how MISO is operated," Harris said. Western representatives will be able to attend all committee meetings, vote on the positions taken by those committees and discuss our issues with greater influence.
"Upgrading our membership will allow us to have more influence in the decision making process, will protect our interest and increase our benefits from the market," Harris said. "It will also give us a greater voice in dealing with the impacts on Western’s loads in the MISO market."
Western plans to join MISO without signing the Transmission Owners Agreement. By upgrading our membership to include the marketing function of the Upper Great Plains Region, Western would pay $15,000 in a one-time membership fee, plus $1,000 in annual dues.
W estern became a MISO market participant in April 2005, which allows Western to buy and sell capacity and energy into the MISO market. However, MISO does not sell or operate any of Western’s transmission capacity or transmission facilities. As a market participant, Western is not involved in governing MISO.
Western’s policy on joining a Regional Transmission Organization and committing transmission resources requires that the agency weigh the costs and benefits. “We will commit Federal transmission assets to an RTO when it makes good business sense economically and operationally,” Harris said. In its MISO membership, Western is not including its transmission system or the facilities of the other transmission system owners with which Western's system is integrated. Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Heartland Consumers Power District , the other Integrated System owners, have submitted their applications to MISO as non-transmission owners.
Western’s Upper Great Plains Region annually markets and transmits more than 2,000 MW of power from hydroelectric power plants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in six central and western states.
MISO is an Independent Transmission System Operator that serves as the regional hub for the flow of electricity in the 15-plus states of its members. Its real time energy market began operating in April 2005.
Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.
Serving the West with Federal hydropower
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