Imbalance

July natural gas is set to open unchanged Friday morning at $4.70 as the technical case for higher prices gains new momentum and tropical storm development is on the table. Overnight oil markets rose.

FERC has green lighted an agreement between the West’s largest grid operators to create a real-time energy imbalance market (EIM) that promises substantial efficiencies and cost savings on the overall grid, and which could have lasting impacts on the region’s natural gas demand.

Tennessee lifted Wednesday an Imbalance Warning in Zones 0, L, 1, 2, 3 and 4 but continued to request that all parties match physical flow with scheduled quantities.

After accepting limited nominations for two cycles of Sunday’s gas day, Ruby Pipeline said based on current pipeline conditions and imbalance payback quantities, it would be able to increase operationally available capacity for Monday “in excess of firm contracted capacity starting with the Evening Nomination Cycle (Cycle 2) tonight [Monday].” The return to service in excess of firm contract quantities ended the related force majeure event effective for Monday, Ruby added. See the bulletin board for other details on the pipeline’s restoration of service following a system shutdown caused Dec. 10 by a block valve yard fire in a remote area of Utah (see Daily GPI, Dec. 13).

Tennessee lifted Wednesday a longstanding Imbalance Warning in upstream Zones 0-4 but said it continues to request that all parties match physical flow with scheduled quantities.

Southern California Gas set a positive imbalance tolerance of 10% in issuing a high-linepack OFO for Saturday.

Tennessee lifted a systemwide Imbalance Warning Saturday. The pipeline also rescheduled a line abandonment project for the 523M-7300 and 523M-7600 lines offshore Louisiana to Wednesday through Oct. 4. The work, which will require suspension of flows at four Vermilion meters, previously was set for last Saturday through Oct. 2.

Tennessee lifted Wednesday an Imbalance Warning on Line 300 downstream of Station 313 but asked customers to match physical flow with scheduled quantities. The pipeline also delayed a line abandonment project on its 523M-7300 and 523M-7600 lines, previously scheduled from Wednesday through Sept. 29, until Saturday through Oct. 2. The work will cause the suspension of flows at four Vermilion meters offshore Louisiana, but no additional service impact is anticipated.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline on Tuesday morning informed its customers that it is lifting its imbalance warning in Zone 4 on the 300 Line. However, the pipeline continues to request that all parties match physical flow with scheduled quantities.