Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has announced that Tyler Wolford will be the new chair of the Change Working Group (CWG), which is responsible for engaging market participants and monitoring market and SPP readiness for the Integrated Marketplace.

(JACKSONVILLE, FL- May 13, 2013) Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has announced that Tyler Wolford will be the new chair of the Change Working Group (CWG), which is responsible for engaging market participants and monitoring market and SPP readiness for the Integrated Marketplace. The CWG makes project management and process improvement recommendations to SPP staff and the Market and Operations Policy Committee. Tyler will represent the CWG on SPP's Integrated Marketplace Go-Live Team, which is responsible for making decisions at key milestones throughout the Integrated Marketplace project. Tyler is RTO Project Manager at The Energy Authority (TEA), and has represented City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, for over two years in the CWG. Tyler also served in SPP's Market Trials Review Group which leads the review and publication of all Integrated Marketplace Market Trials Approach Documents.

"The group often looks to Tyler for input, direction and decision making… Tyler is an excellent facilitator, which in addition to his experience, knowledge and project management skills, makes him a perfect candidate for the CWG chair position," says Erin Jester, Senior Business Analyst and CWG Secretary.

"Tyler's new role will tremendously help TEA, CU & NPPD understand and adapt to the traditionally high level of change of any fledging RTO market. His experience in TEA's Middle Office in Analytics and Project Management plus his experience as a trader on the RTO trading Desk will enable him to understand and interpret these changes and allow TEA and our Members to operate effectively and efficiently in SPP," explained Patrick McGarry, TEA's Director of RTO Trading.

Founded in 1941, SPP is a group of 71 members in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas that serve more than 15 million customers. Membership is comprised of investor-owned utilities, municipal systems, generation and transmission cooperatives, state authorities, wholesale generators, power marketers, and independent transmission companies. SPP's footprint includes 48,930 miles of transmission lines and 370,000 square miles of service territory. As an RTO, SPP ensures reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure, and competitive wholesale prices of electricity. The SPP RE oversees compliance enforcement and reliability standards development. Learn more about SPP by visiting the Newsroom.

TEA is the strategic partner of choice for public power. Through the customized application of bilateral power trading, risk management, power supply management, RTO trading, and natural gas trading services, TEA is currently collaborating with public power utilities nationwide to help them optimize the value of their generation and load portfolio in wholesale energy markets in a manner that is consistent with each utility's unique risk tolerances. Established in 1997, TEA is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, with offices in Seattle (Bellevue), Washington, and Portland, Oregon.