Reporting that recent takes have been significantly below nominations, El Paso said it is experiencing “excessively high linepack” and that its Washington Ranch storage facility is injecting at maximum capacity. Urging shippers to bring their supplies into balance with their takes, the pipeline said that if the situation fails to improve, it may need to declare a Strained Operating Condition.

Because mild temperatures are predicted to continue in its market area through the first week of January, Northwest asked customers to closely align their markets and supplies to avoid banking on the system. If Northwest experiences excessive banking, it will evaluate customer-specific and/or general entitlements for underruns (at an imbalance tolerance of 5%) for receiving parties located north of the Kemmerer (WY) Compressor Station. Northwest noted that under its tariff, it can impose an entitlement in intraday nomination cycles if it has given a warning such as this. However, the pipeline said it will try to give as much notice as possible should an entitlement be necessary.

Neither Southern California Gas nor Pacific Gas & Electric extended their high-linepack OFOs beyond Saturday.

Citing forecasts of “significantly warmer than normal” temperatures, MRT said it anticipates that during the Dec. 31-Jan. 3 period it will be unable to schedule volumes that result in a customer having a net daily long imbalance position.

In updates on facilities upstream of the Toca Compressor Station and processing plant in southeast Louisiana, Southern Natural Gas said it plans to have the pipeline east of Main Pass 298 Junction Platform in service by Thursday. It will begin accepting nominations again no later than the Timely cycle for Thursday’s gas day at four shut-in receipt points: Main Pass 144-Chevron; Main Pass 133C; Main Pass 289-MP 290-Shell; and VKGC-Main Pass 289 to SNG. They join 33 other upstream points that previously had been cleared for flow. Shippers and poolers at the affected points should check with their suppliers about the condition of facilities upstream of Southern’s facilities, the pipeline said, and receipt point operators should not resume flow until a nomination has been submitted and scheduled by Southern.

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