Portland General Electric joins Extended Day-Ahead Market

Last month, Portland General Electric officially joined the Extended Day-Ahead Market, a move that expands regional electricity trading. The Extended Day-Ahead Market allows participating utilities to buy and sell electricity a day in advance across a larger region, enabling better use of lower-cost clean power and increasing resource sharing across the West.

Portland General Electric joins the California Independent System Operator and PacifiCorp, which have both participated in the market since its launch in May.

Utilities Joining Regional Market

The Extended Day-Ahead Market has already generated significant savings for customers. From its launch in May through September, the market saved customers nearly $33 million, even before Portland General Electric joined in October.

More utilities are scheduled to join the market in the coming years. BHE Montana and NV Energy recently became the eighth and ninth utilities to commit to joining, bringing the market’s projected footprint to 55% of electricity demand in the West by 2028.

Sharing Energy Across Borders

One of the clearest benefits of the Extended Day-Ahead Market is the increased ability of participating utilities to share resources across the region as system conditions change seasonally.

Energy transfers between the California ISO, PacifiCorp East, and PacifiCorp West have grown and shifted with changing electricity needs. Net energy transfers across the market increased 70% in August compared with July. In June, abundant solar generation allowed California to export excess electricity to PacifiCorp. However, as hotter temperatures drove up demand in July and August, California drew more power from the rest of the region.

Board Appoints Governance Changes

This progress is happening alongside another major milestone for Western electricity markets.

PacifiCorp has also reported significant benefits from its participation. The market’s expansion is expected to lead to greater total trade volumes and even more savings as more utilities join.