NW Energy Coalition

The launch of the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) today is momentous for clean, affordable, and reliable energy. We encourage every utility in the Northwest to join the EDAM. Through collaboration, growing our footprint, and modernizing our system, we can create a grid that accesses high-quality clean energy at the lowest possible costs while mitigating the risks of localized stress from weather conditions or outages. Read more in our new blog: https://lnkd.in/gVGQttwD

NEWS: CAISO and PacifiCorp have officially launched the Extended Day-Ahead Market a major milestone to deliver greater reliability, and affordability to consumers across the region. ⚡ Read the news release: https://ow.ly/sYXN50YTxg6

We are excited to welcome utility commissioners from around the region who will be speaking at our Northwest Transmission Summit in Boise May 7-8! Panel 5—Issues and Solutions Part 3: How Costs and Benefits are Determined and Allocated at the State Level Who pays for, and who benefits from, our regional transmission lines? In the Northwest, each state has similar, but meaningfully different processes and standards for allocating costs and benefits to local utility customers. A moderated panel of utility commissioners will explore the differences between each state and help identify opportunities to increase coordination to ensure fair and accurate allocation of costs and benefits. Panelists: John Hammond, Idaho Public Utilities Commission Les Perkins, Oregon Public Utility Commission Brian Rybarik, Chair, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission Moderator: Megan Decker, Founder, Staircase Advisory Learn more about our panelists: https://lnkd.in/gpiU72wc We hope to see you in Boise! ☺️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H

Help Power What Comes Next! NW Energy Coalition turns energy into action across the northwest. Your donation helps us: 🔌 Keep energy affordable as demand grows ⚡Advance transmission solutions that unlock clean resources and put communities first 🏡 Align data center growth with communities 🔥 Strengthen wildfire resilience and system reliability We connect analysis, policy, and people to make it happen. Donate to GiveBIG now through May 5: https://lnkd.in/gVzYFs_r

Here are even more great speakers who will be sharing their insights with us next week at the Northwest Transmission Summit in Boise! Panel 4—Issues and Solutions Part 2: Regional Planning and Coordination Transmission is a regional infrastructure need; however, it is largely planned and paid for at the state level in the West. As regional planning rises in importance, stakeholders across the West are developing new tools and processes to increase coordination. Hear from a panel of speakers engaged in regional planning about evolving forums for regional collaboration and opportunities to engage.  Panelists: Rich Glick, Principal, GQS New Energy Strategies Caitlin Liotiris, Prinicipal, Energy Strategies Donald Williams, Principal/CEO, From the Light Consulting Moderator: George Lynch, Deputy Director, Western Interstate Energy Board Learn more about our panelists: https://lnkd.in/gpiU72wc We hope to see you in Boise! ☺️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H

We are excited to share more experts who will be speaking at our Northwest Transmission Summit next week in Boise! Panel 3—Issues and Solution Part 1: Community and Environmental Impacts and Siting Processes Siting new transmission lines is where the rubber meets the road: balancing the need to expand our grid with impacts on communities whose lands and lives are impacted. The siting process is intended to identify and address these impacts while still resulting in new infrastructure builds. This session will review how the siting process works in each state, have panelists share from various stakeholder perspectives, and provide opportunity for the audience to share thoughts on how siting processes can continue to be improved. Panelists: Shannon Stewart, VP of Environmental Compliance & Strategy, Invenergy John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director, Idaho Conservation League Reuben Martinez, Energy Program Manager, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Jeff Hough, Bannock County Board of Commissioners Moderator: Aaron Menenberg, Idaho Policy Manager, Renewable Northwest Learn more about our speakers: https://lnkd.in/gpiU72wc We hope to see you in Boise! ☺️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H

Announcing the second round of experts who will be speaking at our Northwest Transmission Summit next week in Boise! Panel 2—Looking Ahead: Opportunities to Expand the Transmission System Many opportunities exist to expand the grid to meet future needs. Panelists will share about the utility and regional plans to expand our regional grid around three key strategies: optimizing the current grid, increasing capacity along existing corridors, and a small set of new projects that will reinforce the system and access the lowest cost resources available to meet our energy demands.  Panelists: Casey Baker, Senior Program Manager, GridLab Hamody Hindi, Manager of Transmission Planning, Bonneville Power Administration Kyle Unruh, MBA, PMP, Director, Montana & Idaho, Renewable Northwest Curtis Westhoff, System Consulting Engineer, Idaho Power Planning Department Moderator: Shanna Brownstein, Utility Partnerships, GridCARE Learn more about our panelists: https://lnkd.in/gpiU72wc We hope to see you in Boise! ☺️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H

Two weeks until our Northwest Transmission Summit in Boise! 🎉 We are excited to announce the incredible lineup of speakers who will be sharing their insights on panels throughout the event. Panel 1—The Grid We Share: History and Perspectives on Regional Transmission The Northwest shares a transmission grid, which has provided reliable service for decades. However, it is nearing its limits as our region continues to grow and respond to new technology, evolving resources, and changing weather. As we face the need to optimize and expand the grid, we also must address a legacy of impacts to our communities, Tribes, and environment, as well as consider who bears the cost. This session grounds the conference in a shared understanding of the history of our regional transmission grid, the necessity of expanding the grid, and the considerations that must be central to the discussions and process. Panelists: Jillian Hanson, Climate and Renewable Energy Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy in Idaho Brant Johnson, Senior Vice President of Development, Grid United Jamie Hearn, Climate and Community Planning Lead at Front and Centered Donald Williams, Principal/CEO, From the Light Consulting Mike McArthur, Renewable Northwest Moderator: Stephanie Lenhart, Associate Professor, Boise State University Learn more about our panelists: https://lnkd.in/gpiU72wc We hope to see you in Boise! ☺️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H

To encourage an informed discussion about transmission options in the Northwest, NW Energy Coalition and partner organizations commissioned Energy Strategies and Montara Mountain Energy to analyze potential pathways for delivering as much as 12,000 MW of new energy from Montana to the grid by 2035, while minimizing impacts on people and landscapes. As our region faces growing energy demand, changing climate conditions, and continued development of low-cost wind and solar resources, transmission remains essential to controlling costs, improving reliability, and integrating clean energy. The Northwest has a long history of regional interconnection, and this study builds on that legacy by advancing a forward-looking, community-first approach to transmission planning—one that engages stakeholders early to identify needs, concerns, opportunities, and shared benefits. The Montana Regional Transmission Connectivity Study is a tool to begin necessary conversations about how we can build a safer, more reliable, and more efficient grid that delivers access to the lowest-cost energy while strengthening reliability and expanding economic development opportunities for Montana and the region. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gAHKqN88

Our first-ever Northwest Transmission Summit is just a little more than a month away! Make sure to reserve your spot: https://lnkd.in/gicMBZ7H The northwest faces growing energy demands, changing climate patterns, and continued development of low-cost solar and wind power. We have a long history of interconnecting our region through a network of transmission lines to control costs, increase reliability, and integrate clean energy. As we reach the grid’s limits, it is time to reinforce and expand our system to meet our future needs. Join us in Boise on May 7 and 8 to gain a shared understanding of the urgency of the need, identify key opportunities, and address historical barriers to site, pay for, and build new transmission resources while protecting community values. We hope to see you there!