Markets
Press Release: California amends law to join its neighbors in a large Western-based energy market
The new structure for oversight of the market addresses the Bonneville Power Administration’s primary concern when it chose to join a smaller energy market Sept. 12, 2025 NW Energy Coalition applauds the passage of California Assembly Bill 825, which enables the transfer of oversight of a large Western-based energy market to a new, independent organization…
Op-ed: BPA needs to think about costs, customers
In Montana and across the Northwest, energy demand is climbing. Add to that increasingly severe weather events, and you have a recipe for high costs and insufficient energy and transmission during peak demand. To address this, our region needs more access to reliable, affordable and renewable energy for decades to come. One way to do…
NWEC Statement on BPA’s Day-Ahead Market Policy Final Decision
NWEC is disappointed that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is choosing to join Markets+, a project developed by the Arkansas based Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and with a more limited portfolio of clean energy resources. NWEC agrees with BPA that joining a day-ahead energy market is the correct strategy to achieve our shared goals…
Statement: BPA draft decision on Western power market could bring higher costs for Northwest energy consumers
NW Energy Coalition March 6, 2025 Contact: Jill Wasberg, 206-790-8151, jill@nwenergy.org Fred Heutte, 503-757-6222, fred@nwenergy.org Bonneville Power Administration’s own analysis and many other studies commissioned by regional utilities and public interest groups show this choice is likely to result in higher power costs, less reliability, and more difficulty integrating clean energy. Because BPA provides a large majority of…
Feb. 2025 Newsletter – Save the date for our spring conference, updates from NW Energy Coalition
Spring 2025 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference: Missoula, May 7 Join the NW Energy Coalition this spring in Missoula for our Clean & Affordable Energy Conference! We’ll have three panel discussions throughout the day featuring dialogue from experts in Montana on moving a clean energy transition forward. Panelists will talk about how Tribal communities are…
Pathways Initiative and EDAM Update: California Legislation Introduced
NW Energy Coalition2/21/2025Contact: Jill Wasberg, 206-790-8151, jill@nwenergy.orgBen Otto, 208-724-1585, ben@nwenergy.org Day-Ahead Energy Market related legislation was introduced in California on February 20, 2025. The California unions for utility and electrical workers, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environmental Defense Fund are working with the legislative sponsors. Recall the core barrier to prior efforts to create a…
Press release: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves the design of Markets+; BPA should recognize that Extended Day Ahead Market is the best choice for the region
For Immediate Release Thursday, January 16, 2025 Seattle – On Thursday morning, January 16, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the design of Markets+, one of two day-ahead markets being developed in the west. The FERC decision is just one procedural step as the Bonneville Power Administration and Northwest utilities continue to review the…
Pathways Initiative’s Step One Proposal for Governance of a West-Wide Energy Market
A single, unified energy market in the West is essential to unlock the clean energy resource potential of the West, enable efficient use of our infrastructure, and maintain a reliable and affordable energy system. The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative is a collaborative, multi-step effort to create this connected, independently governed Western energy market, as discussed…
Pathways Initiative addresses the key challenge to a West-wide electricity market
This blog post discusses the latest developments in creating a single, unified West-wide market – essential for keeping rates affordable, improving reliability, and meeting our clean energy and decarbonization goals. For an introduction to energy markets, we highly recommend checking out our Markets Month series (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). Pathways Initiative addresses…