Balancing

Citing limited operational flexibility to manage imbalances over the long holiday weekend, Tennessee issued a systemwide Balancing Alert for Saturday that required all delivery point operators to keep actual daily takes from the system equal to or greater than scheduled quantities, and all receipt point operators to keep actual daily receipts into the system equal to or less than scheduled quantities. The requirement applied in each case regardless of the operator’s cumulative imbalance position.

Thanks to recent upgrades to a compression station in northeastern Pennsylvania, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. increased its Marcellus Shale production 35% in a single day, a sign of how infrastructure bottlenecks in Appalachia are crimping production rates.

Demand exceeding capacity has resulted in a linepack loss downstream of Stations 245 and 321, Tennessee said, prompting it to issue Critical Day 1 OFOs for all LMS-PA Balancing Parities in Zones 5 and 6 effective Sunday. The OFOs will be in addition to Action Alerts implemented Friday in those zones along with one in Zone 4, Tennessee said.

Tennessee said due to the anticipated return of colder weather to its market area, an OFO Action Alert will be implemented Friday for all Balancing Parties in downstream Zones 4, 5 and 6. They will be required to maintain an actual daily flow rate not exceeding 2% of scheduled quantities or 500 Dth, whichever is greater, for underdeliveries into the system and overtakes from the system.

Tennessee issued an OFO Action Alert, effective Tuesday for all LMS-PA, LMS-MA and LMS-PL Balancing Parties with meters in Zones 5 and 6, due to anticipated colder temperatures in its Northeast market area and in order to maintain linepack. See the bulletin board for OFO conditions.

Tennessee said limited operational capacity requires it to issue an OFO Action Alert effective Saturday for all LMS-PA, LMS-MA and LMS-PL Balancing Parties in Zones 0, 1, L, 2, 3 and 4. The imbalance tolerance was set at 2% of scheduled quantities or 500 Dth/d, whichever is greater, for overdeliveries into the system and undertakes from the system, Tennessee said. See the bulletin board for further details.

In the first days of its new day-ahead market for grid balancing, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and its major participants have experienced some anomalies in terms of phantom congestion, but with the complex system of 3,000 pricing points it is difficult, if not impossible, to troubleshoot and find answers, according to officials at the Folsom, CA-based grid operator. In the meantime last Tuesday, CAISO’s transition drew praise from one FERC commissioner.

Due to anticipated colder temperatures and in order to maintain its linepack, Tennessee said an OFO Action Alert would take effect Saturday for all LMS-MA Balancing Parties with meters in Zones 5 and 6. Affected shippers are required to maintain an actual daily flow rate not exceeding 2% or 500 Dth, whichever is greater, of scheduled quantities. Penalties of 21.98 cents/Dth will be assessed for exceeding the tolerance.

Florida Gas Transmission lifted Thursday an Overage Alert Day that had been in effect for the previous two days.