SPP is the first RTO in the U.S. to operate two non-related markets: a full RTO market (89 gigawatts — GW) in the Eastern Interconnection called SPP Integrated Marketplace (SPP IM) that was launched in 2014 and a real-time energy-imbalance market (10 GW) called Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) that was launched in 2021 in the Western Interconnection.
SPP is simultaneously working with utilities and other power organizations in the West to form two additional markets — a full RTO West market called SPP RTO West as well as a day-ahead and real-time market called SPP Markets+, which will launch in 2026.
This EUCI training program covers best operating practices for SPP participants who want to maximize the value of their assets (resources, loads, bilateral contracts) in SPP markets (Integrated Marketplace, RTO West, and Markets+).
Through this EUCI workshop, you’ll learn how to do the following:
- Formulate unit offers and demand bids
- Demonstrate how settlement results can be used as a strategic tool to validate SPP settlement statements and invoices
- Identify settlement errors
- Submit settlement disputes
- Compute profit and loss (P&L) metrics
- Provide feedback on the effectiveness of bidding strategies
- Minimize costs for serving loads in the SPP markets
About the instructors: Â
Karla Juarez is the product manager for the PCI SPP product suite. She has more than 15 years of electric industry and public power experience. She follows market and settlement initiatives for the SPP Integrated Market and the Western Energy Imbalance Service. Prior to PCI, Karla was the settlements manager at Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority. She’s a graduate from the University of Oklahoma.
Khai Le, senior vice president at PCI, has conducted more than 750 seminars on market-based operations, trading and bidding strategies, portfolio optimization, and shadow settlement for utilities and ISOs worldwide over the past 45 years. He’s currently working with market participants in RTO and bilateral markets to deploy the PCI Suite to automate their bid-to-bill, portfolio-optimization, ETRM, and BA-operations workflows. He has authored nearly 100 technical papers on unit commitment, hydro-thermal coordination, emission dispatch, optimization of ancillary services, post analysis, and short-term planning. Five of his papers received prize awards. Khai received his bachelor’s from Harvey Mudd College and his master’s from Carnegie Mellon University. Khai is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania.
Justin Shearer is PCI’s vice president of Solutions, joining the company in 2013. Among the many important assignments he has filled over the years is the role of product ownership management for the company’s CAISO EIM solution. Before joining PCI, Justin was a quality assurance team lead for a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund and a security class actions analyst for a leading financial services firm. He earned his bachelor’s in English literature and language from University of Oklahoma. He received his MBA with a focus in MIS and supply chain management from the Price School of Business at the University of Oklahoma.
Ken Lukowski is a PCI director who manages the deployment of the PCI suite for market participants in SPP, MISO, and PJM. He has more than 12 years of settlements experience and has chaired the MISO Market Settlements Working group. Ken received his bachelor’s in accountancy and finance from Southern Illinois University and his MBA from Lindenwood University.
Carrie Simpson is director of Western Services Development at the SPP. She leads the system operator’s ongoing development and implementation of wholesale electricity markets and other electricity services in the western U.S. in partnership with SPP’s stakeholders. Her background in the electric utility industry spans 18 years. Most recently, Carrie was the Western Markets director for Xcel Energy-Colorado, leading a cross-departmental team responsible for analyzing and evaluating participation in organized wholesale markets. In prior roles at the utility, she did work related to wholesale customer power supply agreements, market design policy and market development in the Western Interconnection. Previously, she spent six years at SPP working closely with members and stakeholders to develop and implement energy and ancillary services markets. As SPP’s manager of Real-Time Markets during the launch of SPP’s Integrated Marketplace, Carrie spent time on the market design team facilitating the drafting and development of the market rules. She earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a J.D. from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law.
