Aliso

Regional air quality regulators on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court in Los Angeles against Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), alleging negligence by the nation’s largest gas-only utility in the handling of a three-month-old leaking natural gas storage well.

A South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) hearing board last Saturday ordered the permanent closure and other steps related to Southern California Gas Co.’s (SoCalGas) leaking natural gas storage well (see Daily GPI,Jan. 19).

Concerns about the lack of contingency plans for outages in major natural gas infrastructure were aired Thursday at the California legislature’s first hearing in response to the three-month-old leak in a gas well at Southern California Gas Co.’s (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon underground storage facility in the Santa Susana Mountains.

The prolonged leak of a well at the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage field has left the industry, state regulators and the multi-billion-dollar Sempra Energy utility in the cross-hairs of climate change activists like the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), whose representatives on Friday called for a re-evaluation of the future role of natural gas in the nation’s energy mix.

Buyers weren’t taking any chances Friday in acquiring supplies of weekend and Monday gas. Weather forecasts called for a frosty start to the week, and in major eastern markets restrictions helped boost prices by close to $1.

Withdrawal capacity at the Aliso Canyon storage field of Southern California Gas has decreased by 750 MMcf/d through June 30 due to maintenance on the facility’s #2 dehydration unit.

Southern California Gas said Friday the loss of 300 MMcf/d of storage injection capacity due to emergency turbine repairs at its Aliso Canyon facility had ended as expected.

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) did not extend a high-linepack OFO beyond Tuesday. An initial assessment of the Aliso Canyon storage facility, which was shut down Monday due to a wildfire threat (see Daily GPI, Oct. 14a), indicates no damage to any major structures, SoCalGas said, adding, “It is not known, at this time, when the facility will be back in service.”

Southern California Gas lost 300 MMcf/d of injection capacity at its Aliso Canyon storage facility due to maintenance that began Tuesday. The work is expected to continue through March 14.