Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has taken a key step in the rollout of Markets+ by launching the Markets+ Implementation Strike Team, with the first two meetings held on Nov. 10 and Dec. 4, 2025. While both meetings were brief, they signaled the beginning of a new phase in the program: moving from market design and governance into the practical, technical work of implementation.
The role of the Strike Team
The Markets+ Implementation Strike Team was launched to provide SPP and market participants with a dedicated forum for working through the technical details of the new market’s implementation. The group brings together developers, technically minded end users, and vendors, and it will meet regularly to discuss how participants access SPP systems, which interfaces they use, how to read and interpret technical specifications, and where to find the detailed documentation.
It also gives participants a place to surface and discuss implementation issues, complementing SPP’s Request Management System (RMS), which is currently being upgraded and will transition to a new vendor on Feb 2.
PCI participates directly in this Strike Team, not only for our own integration work but also on behalf of several PCI customers preparing to join Markets+. Because the Strike Team is where SPP shares technical updates and implementation details, PCI uses this forum to stay aligned with SPP’s latest guidance and to ensure the organizations we support have visibility into any changes or questions that emerge during the implementation process.
Early discussions: registration & protocol development
The initial Strike Team and latest Markets+ Change User Forum (MCUF) meetings focused heavily on market participant registration — what entities must do now, what remains under review, and what will change as working groups refine protocols (Read our blog post, “Why WRAP’s Next Chapter Matters for the Future of Western Markets — & Markets+”). SPP noted that several parts of the registration process are still evolving, particularly around scheduling workflows, resource aggregation, and the stages supported for multi-configuration resources (MCRs).
SPP also confirmed a significant timeline adjustment. The registration deadline for inclusion in the October 2027 go-live, initially set for Dec. 1, 2025, has been extended to April 1, 2026, for Market Participants (MPs) and July 1, 2026, for Transmission Customers and Financial Only participants. This gives Transmission Service Providers (TSPs), Transmission Customers, Balancing Authorities (BAs), and other embedded entities more time to complete their registration and establish the required relationships with SPP.
Image credit: SPP MCUF January Meeting Materials
Transmission customers, in particular, now have three pathways to register: directly with SPP, through a third party, or via their BA.
Image credit: SPP MCUF December Meeting Materials
As part of this effort, SPP has also standardized its registration workbook, which has become a central tool for guiding participants through the process.
Image credit: SPP MCUF December Meeting Materials
SPP began bi-weekly meetings with the five comitted BAs in Wave 1 to support participant outreach efforts and assist with registration. These meetings are not open to the public, but should help ensure every entity under each BA completes the necessary registration steps and build the relationships for embedded entities entering Markets+.
Using the Integrated Marketplace Portal for Markets+
Another significant point discussed in the first Strike Team meetings is SPP’s decision to reuse the same portal and underlying architecture that supports its Eastern Interconnection Integrated Marketplace (the green and dark green sections of the map below). For Markets+, SPP will expand and modernize the existing framework and layer in new capabilities as needed.
Image credit: SPP.org
For participants and vendors, this has meaningful implications. PCI has worked extensively with this architecture since before the Integrated Marketplace went live in 2014, and the workflows, systems, and data exchanges are already well understood. The decision to build on this foundation should reduce uncertainty and create a smoother path toward implementation for organizations preparing to join Markets+.
Additionally, SPP announced it is developing a comprehensive integrations diagram that will illustrate how all systems — existing and new — fit together for Markets+. This “Participant Interface” diagram, expected in early 2026, is a product of joint advocacy of PCI and its customers in early SPP forums and SPP’s stakeholder-driven approach to ensure participant needs to Market preparation are met. It will give participants a clear picture of system boundaries, interfaces, and data flows. That clarity is essential as organizations begin preparing their internal architectures for market trials and eventual go-live.
Looking ahead
The launch of the Markets+ Implementation Strike Team marks an essential step toward bringing SPP’s Western market online. By participating in these technical discussions, PCI gains early visibility into evolving requirements and registration processes, enabling us to help our customers prepare for a smoother implementation. As SPP continues to refine protocols and provide integration guidance, this forum will be essential for staying aligned and ready for the Oct. 1, 2027, go-live.
Learn more about how PCI Energy Solutions can help your organization optimize participation on our SPP Markets+ page.
