What does WSPP mean in UNCLASSIFIED

The Western System Power Pool (WSPP) is an independent, non-profit regional transmission organization that operates in the 11 contiguous U.S. western states, along with western Canada and northern Mexico. It was founded to coordinate the energy needs of member states and ensure reliable electricity delivery.

The primary goals of the WSPP are to promote reliable energy delivery, efficient operations, competitive electricity prices, and environmental stewardship throughout its region. Through market integration and coordination of transmission resources across multiple jurisdictions, WSPP helps promote system reliability for members while ensuring fair access to markets for all participants.

Member eligibility depends on location; any public power provider or investor-owned utility present in the western United States, western Canada or northern Mexico that shares a common interest in providing electric services may apply to join the pool. Eligibility requirements can also include financial, operational, technical and legal considerations.

The WSPP leverages its membership of 39 electric utilities and 160 stakeholders from across North America—including public power providers as well as investor-owned utilities—in order to coordinate energy resources between multiple jurisdictions and promote system reliability among members. Additionally, it manages long-term load forecasts as well as real-time operations such as scheduling line interruptions or other supply disruptions in order to head off any potential service interruptions for customers.

By coordinating energy resources between multiple jurisdictions and promoting system reliability among members, the WSPP has been able to reduce energy costs through market integration benefits such as efficient merit order dispatch of resources in its balancing authority area (BAA). These cost savings have enabled utilities within its region to provide their customers with more competitive rates on electricity than they might otherwise be able to achieve on their own.

The WSPP's Regional Transmission Platform (RTP) uses state-of-the-art technology for dispatching real-time wholesale electricity transactions; monitoring data streams from each stakeholder’s control center; executing automated functions related to system operations; and managing contingency reserves necessary for maintaining reliability during extraordinary demand periods or unforeseen incidents which could disrupt service.

As part of its mission statement "to ensure reliable power delivery with environmental stewardship," the Western System Power Pool works diligently with its stakeholders to develop responsible strategies for managing air emissions created by burning fossil fuels used in generating electricity within its region. Additionally, through network optimization software such as GridAnalytics™/Power Flow Solutions®, it helps members identify areas where they can make improvements regarding fuel usage equality or system efficiency which can lead directly towards reduced emissions levels.