For decades, the Western US has operated without the day-ahead electricity markets in operation in other regions.
Two competing day-ahead western energy markets are evolving: CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), which went live May 1, 2026, and SPP’s Markets+, scheduled to launch in October 2027.
The decision of which market to join makes an impact—once a participant commits, switching is neither easy nor swift.
Utilities, traders, developers, and independent power producers are weighing the two different governance models, market structures, and ISO histories.
The new ebook, The Race to Shape Western Power Markets, outlines all the details. Read the direct insights from CAISO CEO Elliot Mainzer and SPP CEO Lanny Nickell, who shared the stage at Yes Energy's EMPOWER 26 conference, to understand what triggered the markets’ expansions, what each market offers, and what reality could like once each is live.
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“Our job is to work together to try to optimize the exchange of energy, not only within the market but across the two markets,” CAISO CEO Lanny Nickell said.
Get the breakdown (in their own words) of:
- The core differences between Markets+ and EDAM—governance structure, stakeholder input, and historic milestones
- How the challenges of seams aren’t going away and how they could evolve
- What this could mean for your operations, risks, and bottom line
As Western energy markets evolve, get all the insights you need to understand the similarities, differences, and challenges they represent.
As CAISO CEO Elliot Mainzer noted that after both markets launch, “We will have new flows, we’ll have new patterns of congestion we’re going to have to deal with, [and] we will have emerging seams.”
Download the ebook to prepare for what’s next.
