Canyon

Electric capacity is expected to be sufficient to meet forecast demand nationally, according to a FERC report released Thursday, but for the second year in a row the outage at Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility has the potential to become a hurdle for gas customers.

Backers of a California legislative proposal (SB 57) to keep Southern California Gas Co.’s (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility closed hope to gain a two-thirds vote in the state Senate after the bill was passed and sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB 57 would prevent Aliso Canyon from reopening until an ongoing root cause analysis investigation is completed and made public. The bill includes language allowing the governor to declare a state of emergency to reopen Aliso Canyon if the region faces power outages due to an inability to get gas supplies from the 86 Bcf capacity facility. If passed as written by both houses by at least two-third votes, SB 57 would become law immediately with its designation as an emergency measure.

Supporting the contention of many local residents and government officials, a study commissioned by Los Angeles County has concluded that Southern California Gas Co.’s (SoCalGas) now-closed 86 Bcf Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility is not needed to ensure regional energy reliability, countering past contentions from state energy officials.

Trican Well Service Ltd., already one of Western Canada’s largest pressure pumpers, is combining in a friendly merger with Canyon Services Group Inc. to improve efficiencies and respond to an evolving oil and natural gas market.

Citing the threat of earthquakes, Los Angeles County on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against state regulators to force them to keep closed California’s largest underground natural gas storage facility at Aliso Canyon.

California’s continuing push to decarbonize its energy systems increasingly point to the transportation sector and natural gas as obvious “elephants in the room,” according to the state’s 2016 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) update released earlier this month by the California Energy Commission (CEC).

Part of the fallout from last year’s prolonged methane leak at the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility seems to be a growing distrust of natural gas as an energy source.

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Thursday released the results of indoor air testing in homes nearest its Aliso Canyon underground gas storage field in Los Angeles and concluded methane levels are now “well below” environmental screening values. In addition, the homes were found to be free of the natural gas odorant mercaptan.

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).