Natural gas imports from Canada to the western United States have increased by 4.1% so far this year versus the same period in 2021, according to new analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The border-crossing points at Sumas, WA, and Eastport, ID, “principally supply metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest and California, where several factors have challenged supply and demand balances this year,” EIA analyst James Easton said in a research note on Tuesday.

These factors include increased electricity demand for air conditioning over the summer amid a sustained heat wave, less hydroelectric output due to drought and reduced natural gas flows from the Permian Basin due to pipeline constraints, Easton said. 

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