BHE Montana, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy company, on Aug. 29 announced that it intends to join the California Independent System Operator’s Extended Day-Ahead Market following its entry into the Western Energy Imbalance Market.
Upon joining the regional markets, BHE Montana will add 397.5 megawatts of energy generation from three wind farms and 75 megawatts of a battery energy storage system. In June 2024, BHE Montana also announced plans to develop Glacier Solar Park, a new 100-megawatt solar generation project.
The EDAM, a voluntary day-ahead electricity market, is designed to deliver significant reliability, economic, and environmental benefits to balancing areas and utilities throughout the West, the company said in a news release.
In November 2023, BHE Montana announced plans to join the Western Energy Imbalance Market in May 2026.
“While we continue our work to onboard BHE Montana to the Western Energy Imbalance Market in 2026, we are pleased at their announcement today to build on that collaboration and take the next step to join the EDAM,” said Elliot Mainzer, president and CEO, California ISO. “This forward-thinking planning adds to the growing momentum behind EDAM and reinforces the promise of even greater economic, environmental, and reliability benefits across the West.”
BHE Montana operates the 189-megawatt Rim Rock windfarm near Cut Bank, Montana, as well as the 105-megawatt Glacier I and 103.5-megawatt Glacier II windfarms that span southwest Glacier County and southeast Toole County in northern Montana.
CAISO Announces Agreement with Black Hills Subsidiaries
Meanwhile, CAISO on Aug. 28 announced it signed an implementation agreement with the South Dakota and Wyoming electric utility subsidiaries of Black Hills Corp. for future participation in the ISO’s Western EIM.
The subsidiaries, Black Hills Power Inc. and Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company, both do business as Black Hills Energy. They currently receive real-time energy market services through the Southwest Power Pool’s Western Energy Imbalance Service market.
The implementation agreement initiates the process for these subsidiaries to integrate into the Western EIM in 2026.
The Western EIM is a real-time electricity market that enables participating entities to buy and sell power close to the time electricity is generated and consumed.
"Using state-of-the-art technology, the market finds and delivers lowest-cost resources to meet immediate power needs and manages congestion on transmission lines to maintain grid reliability. Since the market’s launch in 2014, it has generated $5.85 billion in cumulative financial benefits for participants," CAISO said.
