9am-10am Registration check-in and Networking Breakfast
10:00 am Welcome & Introductions: Jane Luckhardt, PANC Vice President
10:15am Keynote Address and Q&A (Speaker TBD)
10:45am Break
11:00am Panel 1: Regional Coordination:
11:00am Pathway to a New Governance Model
The race to create a true Western regional electricity market is charging ahead with CAISO’s successful Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) for real-time energy and now the Extended-Day Ahead Market (EDAM) approved at FERC and in implementation, with multiple entities already preparing to join next year. Southwest Power Pool’s competing Markets+ initiative is also courting utilities around the region. One of the drivers for state’s decisions for which way to go will be the creation of a new governance model to allow greater independence from California in setting market rules over the WEIM and EDAM. The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative (WWGPI), which was convened by state regulators and stakeholders has just issued a set of recommendations for the initial steps towards creation of a new, fully independent Regional Organization (RO). What are the implications and risks for future governance of the CAISO? What action is required at the California legislature? Is regional governance overall a good deal and the right direction for California customers?
11:00am Moderator: ANDY CAMPBELL – Energy Institute at Haas (UC Berkeley)
11:00am Panelists: TBD
12:15pm Lunch / Networking
1:00pm Panel 2: Streamlining Transmission Across the West:
11:00am How do we build transmission while maintaining affordable rates?
The integration of markets across the West, the rapid development of clean energy resources that are often located in remote places, far from load, and increasing load in load centers from electrification and expansion of data centers supporting artificial intelligence, CAISO needs additional transmission and interconnection capacity. But the timing of siting, permitting and construction for new transmission is still moving on a 10 year-plus time horizon creating the real potential for cost increases as those projects move through the permitting process. Several new collaborative efforts are aimed at streamlining the transmission study, planning, and development process, to accelerate new development and keep pace with the rapid growth in demand. Are those processes working? Do we have other options to improve transfer capacity?
11:00am Moderator: PUSHKAR WAGLE – Flynn Resource Consultants
11:00am Panelists: JOANNE BRADLEY – LS Power
11:00am DUNCAN CALLAWAY – UC Berkeley
2:30pm Break
2:45pm Panel 3: West-Wide Clean Energy Transition Challenge:
11:00am How do we balance supply and demand at all times year?
How do we maintain a reliable grid given the rapid change in the electric resource mix combined with unprecedented load growth from EVs, building electrification, and demand from new technologies like data centers? Resource Adequacy is evolving to a “slice of day” model, to better assess the different attributes of the new resource and load mix. Meanwhile, other states throughout the region are developing a first-of-its kind voluntary system for enabling RA procurement and reserve sharing on a multi-state basis, called the Western Resource Adequacy Program. How will these different structural elements interact in evolving energy markets to ensure the lights stay on and each participant is paying its fair share in procuring the right resources with the right attributes during times of system stress? Where will future RA come from to meet all the new needs? This panel will explore how California and the WECC will ensure sufficient capacity to meet total need and address the questions: Do we have the right resources? If not, what needs to be done and who does it?
11:00am Moderator: Beth Vaughan – Executive Director, Cal CCA
11:00am Panelists:
11:00am SPEAKER TBD – Gridwell Consulting
11:00am PETER GRIFFES – Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
11:00am JIM SHANDALAOV – NEXTera
4:00pm Networking Mixer / Host Bar & Appetizers
