The New Market That Could Make Power Cheaper

The Extended Day Ahead Market (EDAM) optimizes energy resource allocation and grid reliability across the Western United States by shifting from intra-hour balancing to proactive day-ahead scheduling. By building upon the success of the Western Energy Imbalance Market, EDAM allows utilities to co-optimize generation and transmission across a broader footprint, reducing costs for customers through improved price formation and resource efficiency. Mike Wilding, VP of Energy Supply Management at PacifiCorp, emphasizes that this transition requires significant regional coordination, complex IT infrastructure upgrades, and a shift toward independent, equitable governance structures. While moving to a seven-day market increases operational pressure and necessitates precise forecasting, it provides a more resilient grid capable of handling extreme weather events and outages. Ultimately, EDAM represents a critical evolution in modernizing the power sector through collaborative, large-scale market integration.