Imbalance

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a systemwide Stage 2 low-inventory OFO for Tuesday. The order carries penalties of $1/Dth for violating a negative imbalance tolerance of zero.

The imbalance between natural gas production and gas consumption in Mexico “has already arrived at critical levels,” according to Raul Munoz, CEO of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Munoz, as point man for President Vicente Fox’s administration, is working to convince opponents that private investment is the best answer to ensuring Mexico’s energy future.

The imbalance between natural gas production and gas consumption in Mexico “has already arrived at critical levels,” according to Raul Munoz, CEO of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Munoz, as point man for President Vicente Fox’s administration, is working to convince opponents that private investment is the best answer to ensuring Mexico’s energy future.

Florida Gas Transmission tightened the negative imbalance tolerance on last week’s Overage Alert Day notice to 5% Sunday, then loosened it again to 15% Monday before lifting the notice Tuesday.

Pacific Gas & Electric extended Saturday’s Stage 2 high-inventory OFO through Sunday, tightening the imbalance tolerance from 7% to 2%, but then lifted it Monday.

Anticipated demand allowed Algonquin to accept “a limited amount” of due-shipper imbalance make-up nominations for Christmas Day. However, the pipeline said no due-shipper gas would be available Thursday.

U.S. natural gas supply and demand levels have been too close for comfort over the past two years and are expected to become even more constrained in the future without fresh new gas supplies from Alaska, liquefied natural gas (LNG) sources and frontier gas-rich drilling regions, according to a new report released by the American Gas Association (AGA) Wednesday. But achieving these feats will require radical changes in public policies, namely the lifting of drilling restrictions in Alaska’s Arctic region, the Lower-48 states’ western basins and the gas-prone offshore areas, it said.

U.S. natural gas supply and demand levels have been too close for comfort over the past two years and are expected to become even more constrained in the future without fresh new gas supplies from Alaska, liquefied natural gas (LNG) sources and frontier gas-rich drilling regions, according to a new report released by the American Gas Association (AGA) Wednesday. But achieving these feats will require radical changes in public policies, namely the lifting of drilling restrictions in Alaska’s Arctic region, the Lower-48 states’ western basins and the gas-prone offshore areas, it said.

Algonquin joined upstream affiliate Texas Eastern in advising customers that due-shipper imbalance gas will not be available until further notice (see Daily GPI, Nov. 27). However, unlike Texas Eastern’s restriction on interruptible deliveries, Algonquin said Wednesday it “is not issuing any system restrictions at this time.”