Integrated information systems and real time control for interconnected electricity regional markets

Six countries in Central America and Panama are working together in the SIEPAC project to create an electricity market and to build the first regional interconnection line in Central America, reinforcing the already existing country to country interconnections. The project includes the development of a regional transmission system and the formation and gradual growth of a competitive electricity market. The regional market (MER) will work on top of the national markets and will be governed by a single set of market rules; a regional regulatory agency and a regional market operating entity have been created for it. This paper presents an overview of the real time platform which is being implemented and will provide the system monitoring of the regional generation and transmission resources and their efficient coordination. The information system for the SIEPAC regional electricity market integrated by various systems that are planned for supporting the models and tools that will be available for the Central America interconnected regional market operation are also presented. These works are under development for the SIEPAC project coordinated by the Executive unit with headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica. The main systems designed are presented along with their characteristics illustrating the main guidelines followed during the project development.