PORTLAND, Ore. – The momentum continues for the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP).
Weeks after the WRAP Resource Adequacy Participant Committee (RAPC) approved a revised transition plan, the Western Power Pool Board of Directors on Thursday took a series of actions to move the program further along. The Board voted to approve:
- Seven WRAP business practice manuals, completing the full set of documents that detail how the program will operate;
- A set of corrections to the WRAP tariff; and
- The revised transition plan, which is intended to enable WRAP participants to participate in a fully binding program in 2027.
“Having a completed, approved set of business practice manuals is a major milestone,” said Sarah Edmonds, Western Power Pool President and CEO. “Our team created these from scratch after the approval of our tariff, through rounds of stakeholder reviews and revisions. The manuals spell out the details of the WRAP, including the forward showing and operations programs. They will provide participants with essential information they need to continue implementing the program.”
The Board’s approval of the transition plan and tariff corrections means the updates will next go to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for approval. WPP expects to file the two proposals with FERC separately in the next few months. Following RAPC approval, the revised transition plan was open for public comment and reviewed by the Committee of State Representatives, before being submitted to the Board for consideration.
“This is our robust stakeholder process and independent governance structure on display,” Edmonds said. “With the input and direction we’ve received on both the tariff and the business practice manuals, WRAP is well positioned to move forward.”
About the WRAP: WPP is launching the WRAP, which is the first region-wide reliability planning and compliance program in the history of the West. With coordination and visibility across participants, the WRAP has the potential to reveal a more accurate, regional picture of resource needs and supply. It delivers a region-wide approach for assessing and addressing resource adequacy, taking advantage of operating efficiencies, diversity, and sharing of pooled resources. Utilities from the northwest, parts of the desert southwest, Canada and northern California are part of the WRAP’s overall footprint.
Media contact: For more information, contact Kevin Langbaum at kevin@kblcommunications.com.