Imbalance

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a systemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Thursday, setting penalties of $1/Dth for exceeding a positive daily imbalance tolerance of 13%.

El Paso declared a Strained Operating Condition Monday specific to three Arizona utility interconnects (DAPS PHX, DAPS YUM and DSRP PHX) due to high linepack. The imbalance tolerance was set initially at 10%. “The milder weather in the Phoenix area in combination with actual takes below scheduled quantities has resulted in a high linepack condition with the system linepack currently at 7,880 MMcf,” El Paso said, adding that its Washington Ranch storage facility was operating at maximum injections. Interruptible Storage Service was suspended Monday until further notice.

Transco told shippers Friday that it would implement an Imbalance OFO Saturday due to high linepack. However, the OFO was canceled Saturday morning as Transco said linepack was returning to “acceptable” levels. The following restrictions remain in place until further notice: the pool balancing tolerance is 1%; Transco will not allow any makeup of due-pipeline imbalances; no excess storage injections are allowed; and no incremental parked gas or return of loaned gas will be accommodated.

Late Monday afternoon El Paso declared a Strained Operating Condition for a draft condition on its entire system, effective with Tuesday’s gas day. The imbalance tolerance was set initially at 10%, but El Paso said it will reduce the tolerance “if conditions do not sufficiently improve. Increased loads on the system with takes in excess of scheduled quantities in combination with underperformance in the supply areas due to pipeline/producer interconnect maintenance and equipment outages due to high ambient [temperature] conditions and power failures is resulting in a draft to the system that could lead to a low linepack condition. Additionally, the power failures in the Permian/West Texas area are impacting compressor station operations and Washington Ranch [storage facility] is currently down as a result of a loss of power.” Interruptible Storage Service was suspended Tuesday until further notice.

El Paso declared a systemwide Strained Operating Condition (SOC) for a draft condition Tuesday. The imbalance tolerance was initially set at 10%, but El Paso warned that it will reduce the tolerance “if conditions do not sufficiently improve.” A significant increase in system loads was a result of high ambient temperatures in the pipeline’s service area in combination with takes in excess of scheduled quantities resulted in a loss of about 300 MMcf in linepack since noon MCT Monday, El Paso explained, and its Washington Ranch storage facility was at maximum withdrawal rate. Interruptible Storage Service was suspended Tuesday until further notice.

Transco reported that “insufficient receipts to meet delivery obligations on the Mobile Bay Lateral have resulted in significant imbalance and pressures that do not support normal operations on the lateral.” These “significant operational difficulties” mean that the pipeline may be required to issue an OFO for Zones 4A and 4B, Transco said. It urged customers to resolve existing due-pipeline imbalances or Operational Balance Agreement party imbalances.

Northwest lifted Friday a Stage II (8% imbalance tolerance) Overrun Entitlement for Receiving Parties north of the Kemmerer (WY) Compressor Station that had been implemented early this month (see Daily GPI, April 4). However, the pipeline cautioned customers that its deliverability capacity at the Jackson Prairie storage facility “remains very limited” at about 200,000 Dth/d. “Although Northwest has lifted the entitlement, Northwest is advising customers not to draft the system at this time. Failure to comply with this request may result in Northwest issuing customer-specific or systemwide overrun entitlements, which may occur on any day, including weekends,” it said.

Questar ended a late-March restriction on imbalance payback nominations Wednesday and said it will accept such nominations “to and from the pipeline as capacity is operationally available.”

El Paso Natural declared a Strained Operating Condition (SOC) for a Draft condition on its entire system Friday. The imbalance tolerance was set initially at 10%, but El Paso said it would reduce the tolerance level if conditions did not improve sufficiently. “A combination of receipt underperformance and takes in excess of scheduled quantities has resulted in a substantial loss of linepack on EPNG’s system with linepack at approximately 7,200 MMcf,” the pipeline said. “Washington Ranch [storage facility] is on withdrawal at maximum rate.”