California is positioning itself to help run a unified, independently governed electricity market across the West. With AB 825 signed on September 19, 2025, the California Legislature authorized the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to transfer certain market functions to a new Independent Regional Organization (IRO). The IRO will oversee CAISO’s Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and upcoming Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), while CAISO will retain grid-balancing operations, resource adequacy and reliability, transmission planning, and policy implementation.
