Valley

Assuming the Pacific Northwest soon will have added natural gas pipeline capacity into Oregon’s Willamette Valley and elsewhere, the power sector’s growing use of renewables, particularly wind, in the region promises to revise the roles played by gas pipelines and storage, Northwest Natural Gas Co. CEO Gregg Kantor said Wednesday during a second quarter earnings conference call.

Spectra Energy Partners has signed a precedent agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for an expansion of its East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline system to provide firm transportation service of up to 150 MMcf/d to TVA’s proposed 880 MW combined-cycle power plant in northeast Tennessee.

Spectra Energy Partners has signed a precedent agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for an expansion of its East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline system to provide firm transportation service of up to 150 MMcf/d to TVA’s proposed 880 MW combined-cycle power plant in northeast Tennessee.

Looking to capitalize on the growing need for natural gas storage in the prolific Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, Valley Forge, PA-based UGI Corp. said Friday its UGI Central Penn Gas Inc. (UGI CPG) and UGI Storage Co. subsidiaries are conducting a binding open season for 14.7 Bcf of firm underground storage service from three existing storage fields.

Looking to capitalize on the growing need for natural gas storage in the prolific Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, Valley Forge, PA-based UGI Corp. said Friday its UGI Central Penn Gas Inc. (UGI CPG) and UGI Storage Co. subsidiaries are conducting a binding open season for 14.7 Bcf of firm underground storage service from three existing storage fields.

When are smart meters not so intelligent? According to some of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) customers, who live in California’s central valley region where temperatures can hit triple digits, smart meters flunk the test when temperatures rise, air conditioning loads grow and rate increases kick in.

Horizontal drilling into shale rock using multiple fractures (fracs) has “clearly” changed the game for the U.S. natural gas industry, but the drilling process also has the potential to give conventional gas formations, like tight gas sands, an economic boost, Raymond James & Associates Inc. said last week.

Using a landfill along the Pacific Coast west of Silicon Valley, another green electricity source opened at the start of July, promising 11.5 MW of power for local utilities from the Ox Mountain facility in Half Moon Bay, CA. It is a project spawned by Massachusetts energy services firm Ameresco Inc. and Republic Services Inc., the waste management firm operating Ox Mountain.

The Silicon Valley suburb of Palo Alto, CA, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking marketing and administrative help expanding its green energy programs to “green gas” and renewable energy credit (REC) segments. A pre-proposal teleconference will be held Jan. 30 for prospective bidders, and bids are due Feb. 12 with a projected May 1 start for winning bidders.