reliability

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $3 million to two University of California campuses for research to improve natural gas production, fuel infrastructure and pipeline reliability. Investment in gas research is intended to accelerate development of clean energy technologies. The UC Riversidecampus was awarded $1.4 million to develop a more efficient thermochemical method for producing renewable gas. The research is thought to have the potential to replace 30% of the natural gas burned in California, which receives 87% of its supplies from out of state. The Riverside campus was awarded $1.2 million to help ensure the compatibility of natural gas with other alternative fuels in the transportation sector. The UC Berkeley campus received $425,000 to study the effects of rising sea levels on gas pipelines in San Francisco Bay.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is seeking to hire a management consultant to provide an internal audit of the commission’s Gas Safety and Reliability Branch program. A CPUC spokesperson said the regulatory commission has reached “a turning point in its regulation of natural gas safety,” and is seeking professional expertise to “inform and guide” future changes. Under a two-year contract not to exceed $300,000, the internal audit consultant is expected to examine the overall structure, function and effectiveness of the CPUC’s natural gas safety program.

The heads of FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) announced Monday they were combining their separate ongoing investigations of the causes and aftermath of the natural gas end-use customer shutoffs and natural gas and electric infrastructure freeze-ups in the midst of a severe winter temperature drop in late January and early February in the Southwestern states.

With unusually cold temperatures finally forecast to recede from the state, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on Thursday said it had set a record for winter peak demand of 57,282 MW between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Next-day Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power prices dug deep into triple digits Wednesday in the wake of a massive winter storm.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

Natural gas buyers consider reliability, honesty and dependability, along with competitive pricing and accuracy of invoices and statements, to be the most important issues when they work with marketers, according to Mastio’s Natural Gas Marketer Customer Value & Loyalty Study for 2009.

Serious economic and grid reliability concerns surfaced Wednesday in a business-backed report that challenges a climate change action plan backed by seven western governors. The Western Climate Initiative (WCI) is an outline for limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and implementing a cap-and-trade system.