Hydrolectric

The Pacific Northwest hydrolectric season has stretched into an eight-month-long period, producing a similarly long period in which natural gas-fired generation plants remain mostly idle, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). For gas-fired plant operators the short-term summer prospects look bleak, according to EIA. While it is not unusual to see gas generation drop dramatically in the spring, EIA’s data reported a dramatic gas drop in the region since mid-January, with little change envisioned before September. “Natural gas use at [the region’s] plants dropped almost to zero during the third week of May,” EIA said. “This coincides with the curtailment of wind generators discussed in previous [EIA reports]. Gas use for power generation in 2011 is down 68%, or about 300 MMcf/d, compared to the first five months of 2010 [Jan. 1-May 25].”