(SPP)
Southwest Power Pool, the Little Rock nonprofit power grid overseer, has hired a Westerner to lead regulatory policy in its western expansion.
She is Kristine Raper, known as Kris, a veteran of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) in Salt Lake City. She will start work as the regional transmission organization’s senior director of state regulatory policy for the West on Jan. 20.
SPP Executive Vice President Paul Suskie announced the hiring, saying Raper brings years of experience and leadership on state regulatory issues that the power industry faces in the region. “We are excited to have her join SPP as we expand westward with regional transmission organization services and the Markets+ day-ahead and real-time market.”
Raper’s position is new to SPP. She will work with state utility regulatory commissioners in the West, and will help management address state and federal energy issues. Her job will involve initiatives and strategic issues at the state regulatory level, the company said.
“As the grid continues to experience significant change, SPP is well-positioned to meet new challenges,” Raper said. “I look forward to contributing to the significant efforts they have already undertaken in the Western Interconnection.”
Since 2022, Raper has been vice president of strategic engagement and external affairs at the WECC. Before that, she was a commissioner on the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and a deputy attorney general for Idaho. She earned a bachelor’s from Boise State University and a law degree from the University of Idaho.
