Leak

On Monday, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) began a multi-day process of permanently sealing the leaking natural gas storage well at its Aliso Canyon facility in far north-suburban Los Angeles.

Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) utility said Thursday it has temporarily controlled the flow of gas at a nearly four-month-old well leak at its Aliso Canyon facility in suburban Los Angeles. A relief well has intersected the 8,600-foot deep base of the leaking structure.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released proposed regulations covering methane emissions and efforts to mitigate them, particularly in light of the three-month-old natural gas storage well leak in Southern California (see Daily GPI,Jan. 29).

While the long-term political, regulatory and economic ramifications of the three-month-old Aliso Canyon natural gas storage well leak for Sempra Energy and its Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) unit are still unknown, the inevitability of significant, longer term impacts on the gas storage sector nationally is becoming clearer with each day and week that the leak continues. More federal regulation is coming, based on current developments in California and Washington, DC.

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).

Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) unit reported Monday that it expects to stop the nearly three-month-old natural gas storage well leak at its Aliso Canyon underground facility “by late February, if not sooner.”

Responding to Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandate amid heightened safety concerns about the nearly three-month-old Aliso Canyon well leak, California regulators on Friday served notice of issuing emergency natural gas storage regulations.

While the target date for plugging the leak is still two months off, emissions have dropped 60% at the natural gas well storage site at Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon underground field near Los Angeles, according to estimates by state regulators that were issued on Tuesday.

In response to the natural gas storage well leak and resulting community unrest at the Aliso Canyon underground storage field, California lawmakers on Monday introduced three bills aimed at preventing a recurrence, stiffening state regulations and minimizing reliance on underground storage to the extent energy reliability concerns will permit.