BANC, SMUD Move Forward with Consideration of CAISO Extended Day Ahead Market

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
September 4, 2023

The Balancing Authority of Northern California announced that its Commission has concurred with a staff recommendation to pursue the California Independent System Operator Extended Day Ahead Market as its preferred option for day ahead market participation.

The move will be subject to the final and individual decision-making of each of the BANC Western Energy Imbalance Market participants (Modesto Irrigation District, City of Redding, City of Roseville, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and the Western Area Power Administration – Sierra Nevada Region).

The recommendation was based upon analysis done by BANC, which included a detailed cost evaluation conducted by Utilicast to move from WEIM to EDAM and a benefit analysis on participation in EDAM conducted by The Brattle Group.

“We have concluded that participation in EDAM provides the best benefit for BANC and its WEIM participants while leveraging the investment we have made, and preserving the benefits we see, in WEIM,” said BANC General Manager Jim Shetler. “BANC looks forward to joining PacifiCorp and others to drive further economic, environmental, and operational benefits for the EIM footprint through the EDAM. This decision is also consistent with BANC’s position that evolutionary development of markets in the West provides the most long-term durability.”

Based upon final participant approvals, BANC is looking to join EDAM by the Spring of 2026.

In a parallel action, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District has obtained approval from its Board of Directors to proceed with engaging with BANC to participate in the EDAM. This action was based upon SMUD’s separate evaluation of market options.

“Engaging with BANC to participate in the EDAM is a natural progression from SMUD’s participation in the WEIM,” said Paul Lau, CEO and General Manager of SMUD. “Not only is the EDAM an important tool to support reliability and resiliency and low rates while helping SMUD deliver on our industry-leading decarbonization goals, it will also provide broader price, reliability and decarbonization benefits in support of regional goals.”

BANC is the third largest balancing authority in California and the 16th largest in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.

BANC is a joint powers agency whose members include the Modesto Irrigation District, the City of Redding, the City of Roseville, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the City of Shasta Lake, and the Trinity Public Utilities District. BANC began operations in May 2011.

BANC’s footprint currently extends from the Oregon border to Modesto and from Sacramento to the Sierra and includes the Western Area Power Administration’s transmission grid and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations’ generation resources in California. BANC includes the California-Oregon Transmission Project, as well as the systems of its members.