FERC’s fall “State of the Natural Gas Industry” conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 21, will tackle issues related to gas storage, according to Chairman Patrick Wood.

“This year we’d like to look at this issue, storage. We may add other issues later. But this is our…core issue,” he said at last Wednesday’s regular Commission meeting. Specifically, the agency will review policy options that are aimed at encouraging storage development in regions where more facilities are needed.

Staff said it plans to issue a detailed report on natural gas storage three weeks prior to the conference, which will take place at FERC’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Staff, in a presentation to the full Commission last Wednesday, concluded that while “storage appears to be adequate to meet seasonal demand…recent price spikes indicate that more storage may be appropriate.”

Staff recommended that “creative ratemaking approaches, along with certificate and policy choices, may increase storage development” throughout the nation (see related story).

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