Socalgas

Buffeted by cold, heavy rains and faced with diminished storage options, the greater Los Angeles Basin could experience a possible shortfall in natural gas supplies, according to an advisory Monday from Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Monday issued an advisory to its customers to cut their natural gas use to help assure adequate supplies of gas and electrical power in the midst of low temperatures in the region and concerns for interstate pipeline disruptions.

The nation’s largest natural gas distribution utility, Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), on Monday unveiled a series of methane detection sensors, following the completion of demonstration testing as part of a multi-billion-dollar pipeline safety enhancement program.

As a way to curb peak winter day natural gas use, the five-member California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday approved consumer programs for Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Tuesday formally asked California regulators for approval to reopen the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage field along the northern fringes of Los Angeles that has been closed since a leak occurred a year ago (see Daily GPI,Feb. 18).

California’s permanent new regulations governing natural gas storage are likely to be the most comprehensive in the nation, exceeding whatever the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) comes up with, an official with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said in an analysis released Friday.

The 86 Bcf capacity Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage field on the northern edge of Los Angeles is vital to the region’s energy reliability and can be safely reopened, according to federal officials heading an interagency nationwide task force.

More than half of the storage wells at the closed Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon underground natural gas facility in Los Angeles have been isolated for further assessment as to whether or not they should be permanently plugged, according to a report from the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).

Sempra Energy’s natural gas utility Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Tuesday agreed to pay up to $4.3 million for penalties and to implement an infrared leak detection system to settle a case brought by Los Angeles County that is tied to the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility leak.