BPA should rethink decision affecting ratepayers
By Mitch Cutter and Donald Miller / For The Herald
The Bonneville Power Administration — the Northwest’s wholesale public power supplier and the owner of 75 percent of the Northwest’s electrical transmission grid — should be leading the way toward a successful, smooth transition to abundant, clean energy resources that can fulfill growing demand for power.
Instead, the BPA is about to make an unforced error that will harm ratepayers, decarbonization efforts and the entire region.
Energy markets are critical for the unfolding clean energy transition. These markets can be used to share resources to increase reliability, keep prices low and maximize the efficiency of wind and solar electricity. Larger markets, with more participants and diverse geography, allow more efficient sharing of resources. In the West, two of these markets are emerging: the larger Extended Day Ahead Market (EDAM), which covers California, Nevada, and parts of Oregon and Idaho; and the smaller Markets+ construct, based in Arkansas.
For many of us, debating the pros and cons of energy markets seems wonky. But the ramifications of BPA’s decision to join one market or the other are huge, running from Everett to Boise, Idaho and beyond. That choice will affect the future of the Northwest for generations to come. Leveraged properly, a large Western energy market could help replace fossil fuels and drought-susceptible Northwest hydropower with a diverse portfolio of renewable energy. Choosing the wrong market translates to escalating energy bills, unreliable energy supply, and large-scale power failures that will upend communities and destabilize the regional economy.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-bpa-should-rethink-decision-affecting-ratepayers/