Robin R. Furrer

This workshop, the fourth in the Evolving Grid series, focused on discussions regarding the reinforcement, rebuilding, and expansion of the BPA transmission grid to meet regional needs. Key topics included an ex-parte reminder concerning ongoing proceedings (BP26, TC26, PRD), a review of the agenda, and a safety moment covering winter travel preparedness. The presentation covered recent accomplishments in fiscal year 2024, including safety performance (reducing total injuries by 9%) and reliability goal achievement across high and low voltage systems. Challenges addressed were record peak loads in summer and winter, and the significant threat of wildfires, noting that the BPA service territory accounted for 40.8% of the total National burn area. Mitigation efforts such as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPs) and the successful deployment of fire wraps on wood structures were highlighted. Capital project execution, totaling $665 million (an increase of $232 million from FY23), was detailed, including sustainment work which exceeded targets. The status of Evolving Grid 1.0 and 2.0 projects, comprising 13 projects costing approximately $3 billion, was discussed. Finally, an introduction was made to the Customer Reliability Improvement Service (CRIS) program, designed to proactively manage risk on the system, such as looping radial feeds.

The EIM Settlements Meeting covered several critical updates. Key discussion points included clarifying that all bills are due upon issuance, with disputes or credits addressed only after full payment. The schedule for EIM settlements was reviewed, noting the issuance of bills including April initial 2023 and trade date plus 70 business days from November and December 2022. The meeting formally introduced the new nomenclature T plus 234B, replacing T plus 11 months, and BPA anticipates being completely caught up on settlements by July 2023. Significant time was dedicated to daylight savings time impacts, confirming that while detailed data file displays were temporarily incorrect (e.g., hour endings), the underlying data supporting the EIM services bill remains accurate, and the display nomenclature will be fixed moving forward. Furthermore, the process for receiving email notifications regarding detailed data file availability via the Customer Portal alerts (signing up for new announcements) was detailed, coinciding with the discontinuation of previous Tech Forum notices after June 30th. Finally, BPA acknowledged feedback regarding future customer workshops, agreeing to hold one prior to moving to weekly detailed data files and another afterward.

The Bonneville Power Administration's 2024 Resource Program is a biennial assessment designed to develop least-cost portfolios of resources to meet its contractual firm power obligations. The program examines uncertainties in loads, water supply, natural gas prices, and electricity market prices through a comprehensive process involving Needs, Market, and Candidate Resource Assessments. It utilizes various load forecasting assumptions, including climate change, electrification, and economic outlooks, analyzed across Base and Fast Transition scenarios, to ensure cost-effective resource acquisition and strategic positioning for future energy demands.

The meeting focused on several key operational and scheduling updates related to EIM Settlements. Key discussion points included reinforcing best practices for bill payment, specifically that waivers or disputes are addressed only after a bill is paid in full, and credits/refunds will not offset outstanding balances. A significant portion of the meeting addressed issues with Inner Tie Tag Detail Reports, where some reports were found to be empty or incomplete for January initial, February initial, and June/July T+70 recalculation bills due to a change in system archiving logic impacting data accessibility. Replacement/augmented reports for these periods have been posted to the customer portal. The schedule updates confirmed BPA is close to being caught up, aiming for normal cadence where customers receive a monthly EIM Services bill covering at least three market months of activity (initial, T+70 recalc, and T+11 month recalc). Furthermore, an announcement was made regarding the formation of the Western Energy Imbalance Market Settlements Forum, with a kickoff meeting planned for May 24th.

This document outlines the Bonneville Power Administration's approach to long-term power resource planning, focusing on resource build, electricity prices, and market limits within the WECC. It details assumptions for Long-Term Capacity Expansion, including new resource options and various policy scenarios such as decarbonization targets. The document also addresses price forecasts, carbon policy constraints, and market limits, explaining the Aurora modeling approach used for these analyses.