Electricity demand in the West is rising quickly, driven by longer and hotter summers, the rapid growth of data centers and new manufacturing.
The region’s power system wasn’t designed for that kind of growth, said Leah Rubin Shen, managing director at advocacy group Advanced Energy United, which produced the report.
“Because right now there are 38 different entities across 11 western states, all individually doing their own balancing within their own footprint of that supply and demand,” Shen said.
That fragmentation, she argued, makes it harder to move electricity where it’s needed most, especially when powerful storms strain the grid.
“As you get more extreme weather events, not just high or low temperatures, but things like wildfires or storms, those have the potential to knock out energy infrastructure for a period of time,” Shen said.
The report outlines a path toward a single, West-wide regional energy market that would allow utilities to buy and sell electricity across state lines more seamlessly. Supporters say such coordination could lower costs for consumers and improve reliability during demand spikes or outages.
The proposal builds on existing cooperation in the West, including a real-time energy market that has operated for more than a decade.
In some states, the shift toward broader regional participation is already underway. Nevada and Colorado have passed laws requiring their utilities to join a regional energy market by 2030.
The report’s authors say decisions made in the next few years could shape how the Western power grid operates for decades to come.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
