NERC said that it has appointed Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) chief Jim Robb as its new president and CEO, effective April 9.

The chairman of NERC’s Board of Trustees said the organization hopes to have a new CEO in place by the summer.

The Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) expanded its footprint and ambitions in 2017 while new suitors lined up to compete with CAISO as the vehicle for a Western RTO.

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) board of directors endorsed a new three-year operating plan for the organization.

Texas regulators are concerned that transmission projects along the U.S. border with Mexico may threaten their exclusive jurisdiction over ERCOT.

CAISO is close to finalizing a long-running effort to reduce exceptional dispatch of generation to resolve transmission constraints.

Electric system disturbances from the loss of generation or transmission in the Western Interconnection increased by 50% between 2015 and 2016.

CAISO will increase its daily procurement of operating reserves in response to the erroneous tripping of solar generation caused the loss of 1,200 MW.

Stakeholders expressed concerns over how the Western Interconnection’s four transmission planning organizations can align their separate regional processes.

CAISO said it will take advantage of a recently approved system reliability measure when Aliso Canyon gas pipeline restrictions constrain output.