Does Western operate any control areas?
Western operates four of 150 control areas within the three power grids in the United States and Canada. Western operates three of 30 control areas within the Western Interconnection. These three control areas are called the WAUM-West, or Western Area Upper Missouri-West, operated by our Upper Great Plains Region; the WALC, or Western Area Lower Colorado, which our Desert Southwest Region operates; and WACM, or Western Area Colorado Missouri, which our Rocky Mountain Region operates. Western’s Sierra Nevada Region operates as a contract-based, sub-control area within the Sacramento Municipal Utility District control area. Western’s Upper Great Plains Region also operates a control area in the Eastern Interconnection, or eastern grid, called the Western Area Upper Missouri-East, or the WAUM-East. How do dispatchers at control areas balance supply and demand? Dispatchers must match resources (generation) to demand and delivery schedules. They must monitor and maintain system voltage. On
