Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
![SPP’s coordination center in Little Rock. It oversees the grid in a 14-state region. [PHOTO provided]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SPP_Coordination_Center_01_-_APPROVED_FOR_EXTERNAL_DISTRIBUTION_opt-300x194.jpg)
SPP Proposes Fast-Track Plan to Address Looming Power Generation Shortfall
Utilities across the region have been clamoring for more “dispatchable” electricity, power that can be delivered immediately. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Ethics, Politics and the Arkansas Public Service Commission
An ethics complaint raises questions about the "cozy relationship" between Doyle Webb and Entergy, pointing to campaign contributions from the utility to Webb's wife, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Barbara Webb. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
More Work for Southwest Power Pool On Western Market
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently asked for more details on SPP’s plan to develop an equitable power market along with 34 electric entities in nine western states. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Western Electric: SPP Expands for New Era
This western march comes at a critical juncture, as extreme weather and emerging stressors, like the proliferation of data centers, test the power grid like never before. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
A Grid for Growth (Simon Mahan Commentary)
The Arkansas economy is booming. But all the growth is straining our grid, and the region’s power system remains stuck in the past. read more >
by Simon Mahan -
SPP Reaches Western Milestone With RTO Services
Regulatory approval would make it the nation’s first grid manager serving the eastern and western halves of the nation, starting in early 2026. read more >
New FERC Mandate Requires Long-Term Planning Amid Rising Energy Demands
Advanced energy advocates praised the potential for easier interconnection of wind and solar projects, while conservative states were beyond skeptical. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Reaches Western Milestone, Files Tariff With FERC
It's a step forward in SPP's plan to develop a day-ahead power market in the western U.S. read more >
Arkansas Regulators Reverse Decision, Accept $142M Settlement for Grand Gulf Costs
The Arkansas Public Service Commission rejected Entergy's "low-ball" offer in August 2022. Now the commission has dropped its objections with little fanfare. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Will Be First RTO to Span East and West Interconnections
Seven western utilities have committed to joining the nonprofit, the first major expansion of SPP’s RTO service territory since October 2015. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Hits Milestone in Clearing Backlog of Interconnection Studies
SPP said the backlog had grown with an “overwhelming interest in building new generation — primarily from developers looking to construct wind and solar farms.” read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Report Says it Saved Members $3.8B in 2022
In another report, SPP found that lessons learned from the February 2021 blizzard were key to meeting the challenges of the December 2022 extratropical cyclone dubbed Winter Storm Elliott. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
31 Entities Officially Join SPP in Launching Western Market
Southwest Power Pool, the not-for-profit electric grid market manager based in Little Rock, says 31 entities have officially joined Markets+. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Moves Forward With Market Service for Western Utilities
The regional transmission organization has published details on a power service to western U.S. markets called Markets+. read more >
Ted Thomas, Solar Power And the Cooperative View
Thomas is going out as chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission with a bang. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
SPP Lines Up More Prospects for Western Service
Five of the new entities are in Washington State, and one, Powerex Corp. of Vancouver, is in Canada. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Another Western Prospect to Study Joining SPP
Platte River Power Authority of Fort Collins, Colorado, says the move would help advance its noncarbon energy goals. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Colorado Springs Utilities Joins SPP Western Market
By joining the western market, Colorado Springs Utilities will be poised for access to the “lowest-cost generating resources available in the market at any given minute,” according to a news release from SPP. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
PSC Turns Down Entergy’s ‘Low-Ball’ Settlement Offer
The offer did not include a cash refund for Arkansas customers who were allegedly overcharged. read more >
by -
Strained by the Heat, But Not Powerless
It used to be news when the electric power failed. But in today’s topsy-turvy world of energy, Southwest Power Pool of Little Rock put out a news release July 8 trumpeting the fact that it kept the lights on. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Sign up for Daily E-news
Sign Up
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
This Week’s Stories
View Digital Edition
![The second phase of the Little Rock Technology Park included gutting six stories at 421 Main St. in downtown Little Rock to make room for larger, intermediary office spaces. The building, which previously housed the state Department of Education, is on the National Register of Historic Places. [PHOTO provided]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0566_opt-150x150.jpg)
![Pea Ridge Mayor Nathan See: “You’ve got to keep up with growth.” [michael woods]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20250609_Nathan_See_009_opt-150x150.jpg)
![Slim Chickens bought this 35,700-SF, four-story office building in Fayetteville in 2023. [Google Maps]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot_2025-06-09_at_1.03.20e280afPM_opt-150x150.jpg)
![Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Hillcrest may be adapted for commercial use. [google maps]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Pulaski_Heights_Baptist_Church_opt-150x150.jpg)
![Robert Brech is the executive director of the Office of Professional Conduct, which is the office that oversees the behavior of attorneys. Brech’s office faces a backlog of cases to review. [Karen E. Segrave]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ARBusiness-Robert-Brech-24_opt-150x150.jpg)
