Natural Gas Delivery Sapped by Extreme Cold

Natural gas delivery was brought to a screeching halt for customers of MN-based Xcel Energy due to the extreme cold from the January 2019 polar vortex.  It just goes to show that although many of my blog posts focus on emergency preparedness for natural disasters, these types of events are not the only weather-related problem that utilities have. 

Why Xcel’s Natural Gas Delivery Failed

All told, 150 Xcel customers located at the end of a gas transmission line lost their heat due to delivery problems caused by temperatures in the neighborhood of 30 below.  Thousands of other customers were asked to reduce their thermostats to prevent additional outages.  Yikes, what a time to have little or no heat in the house!

The outages occurred because the homes were at the end of the transmission line, but the problem was exasperated because most of the customers before them on the line had dramatically raised their thermostats, which reduced the pressure in the line and prevented the gas from making it all the way to the end.  Therefore, Xcel had to shut off gas delivery to this area until the pressure was restored to an appropriate level.

The company is currently working with the MN Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to rectify these types of issues going forward.  Since roughly 66% of the state’s customers use gas heat, the other gas utilities in MN, despite avoiding any natural gas emergencies during the vortex, are also looking to fortify their ability to maintain uninterrupted natural gas delivery. 

All told, here are some of the preventative steps being taken:

• Evaluate and update the computer models used to predict system performance.
• Install larger lines in vulnerable areas to accommodate spikes in demand.
• Maintain an inventory of compressed natural gas tanks on standby.
• Maintain an inventory of space heaters for customers whose natural gas delivery has been interrupted.
• Work with local businesses on agreements to reduce their demand during peak times.

I am encouraged by the fact that Xcel is incorporating lessons learned from the outage into system enhancements designed to prevent a recurrence.  I’m also encouraged by the proactive steps being taken by the state’s other gas utilities.  The bottom line is that you can never be too prepared, especially when you have customers who rely on natural gas delivery to heat their homes.