Addition of area utilities expands power pool

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The addition on April 1 of Xcel Energy-Colorado, the Platte River Power Authority and Black Hills Colorado Electric LLC, the Western Energy Imbalance Service Market run by the Little Rock-based Southwest Power Pool has more than doubled in size, according to a report by the power pool.

The 2022 WEIS Benefit of Market Report estimated that the WEIS provided $31.7 million in net benefits to its 12 participating western utilities in 2022 at a benefit-to-cost ratio of 7-to-1. With the addition to the market of the three utilities that serve Colorado customers, the power pool anticipated that…