Sempra Energy’s Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas Co. utility reported Thursday that it set a record summer day sendout of 3.72 Bcf last July 24 when electric utilities throughout the state set all-time peak demand records. Natural gas is the primary fuel for electric generation plants in the state, and particularly in the SoCalGas territory.

The gas delivery record was the single-day summer record for the past five years — enough gas to serve 75,000 households for a year, SoCalGas said. The utility made the announcement to help remind customers and the general public to keep in mind various safety measures related to the nation’s largest natural gas utility distribution system.

“We take our role as a pipeline operator and natural gas supplier very seriously,” said Hal Snyder, vice president of gas transmission and distribution at SoCal. “Meeting our customers growing energy needs is not just about reliability, but also safety.

On an ongoing basis — not just during the winter peak loads — SoCal said it conducts a pipeline inspection program; Underground Service Alert (USA), the contractor-alert program; 24/7 monitoring of gas flows and quality; preventive programs to mitigate against buried steel pipe corroding; and leakage surveys throughout its territory covering the southern half of California, which includes nearly 20 million people, 5.6 million meters and 20,000 square miles.

In these days of heightened homeland security concerns, SoCalGas urged its customers to be aware of portions of the natural gas pipeline system in their neighborhoods and to report any suspicious activity related to those facilities.

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