Large Industrial Electricity Loads
The Western Interstate Energy Board launched a webinar series through our Reserve Expenditure Plan to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by new large industrial electricity loads across the Western Interconnection.
As industrial load growth accelerates, policymakers, regulators, and utilities face complex questions around grid readiness, regional implications, and cumulative impacts on existing users. These new large electricity loads–varying in size, timing, and operational flexibility–are reshaping planning assumptions, imposing new questions on system operations, and raising questions around cost allocation and the obligation to serve. This series convened expert voices and stakeholders to examine these emerging challenges and identify practical approaches to support effective decision-making.
Following the series, WIEB staff developed a set of policy principles for addressing large industrial electricity loads in the Western Interconnection, available below.
Webinar #1: Grounding the Conversation
The first webinar was held on Thursday, July 31, 2025, providing system-level insights and infrastructure perspectives to level set the conversation around what qualifies as a “large” electricity load, why these loads matter, and how they intersect with reliability, affordability, and grid planning for state officials, regulators, and planners across the region.
Slide Decks:
A recording of the webinar can be found here.
Webinar #2: Understanding the Economics
The second webinar was held on Friday, September 12, 2025, from 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. MT, exploring the economic considerations of large loads, including questions of tariffs, rate design, and the broader implications for affordability and grid planning across the region.
Speakers:
A recording of the webinar can be found here.
Webinar #3: From Planning to Practice: Cross-Jurisdictional Case Studies in Large Load Integration
The third session, held in conjunction with the Fall 2025 Joint CREPC-WIRAB Meeting, moved the conversation from foundational framing and economic considerations into real-world application. Building on the first two webinars, this panel featured case studies from across the West, highlighting how jurisdictions with different institutional structures are managing the challenges of rapid load growth.
Speakers shared how planning frameworks, governance models, and rate design tools are shaping their approaches. The discussion highlighted both the different approaches being taken and the shared challenges that emerge, underscoring the importance of regional dialogue as the West prepares for continued load growth.
- Moderator: Janine Benner, Director, Oregon Department of Energy
- Marie-France Samaroden, Vice President of Grid Reliability Operations, Alberta
Electric System Operator - Neil Millar, Vice President of Transmission Planning & Infrastructure Development,
California Independent System Operator - Natasha Henderson, Senior Director, Grid Asset Utilization, Southwest Power Pool
A summary of the panel session can be found here.
Webinar #4: Large Load Prioritization and System Pressure Across the West
The final session of the series was held on March 16, 2026 and explored how different entities are approaching the sequencing and prioritization of large-load requests when near-term system capability is constrained. WECC provided a regional view of how and where large loads are appearing in the Western interconnection and where system pressures are emerging, Following this, a provincial perspective from British Columbia illustrated how policymakers are approaching prioritization decisions when not every request can be accommodated at once.
- Katie Rogers, Manager of Reliability Assessments, WECC
- Zackary Merilovich, Director, Policy Frameworks and Planning, British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions
A recording of the session can be found here.