Winter Storm Uri

In an extensive 313-page report, federal regulators have concluded that natural gas-fired generators made up 58% of all unplanned outages, derates or failures to start during the deadly cold weather event in February. The remaining portion of outages was by wind (27%), coal (6%), solar (2%) and other generation types (7%), according to the final…

Editor’s Note: NGI’s Mexico Gas Price Index, a leader tracking Mexico natural gas market reform, is offering the following column by Eduardo Prud’homme as part of a regular series on understanding this process. The opinions and positions expressed by Prud’homme do not necessarily reflect the views of NGI’s Mexico Gas Price Index. Recent increases in…

Natural gas-fired electric generators made up a majority of the failures identified by FERC during an inquiry into the extreme cold weather that rattled power markets in Texas and the Midwest in February. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in a joint effort with the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), found freezing generator components and…

In an effort to reform the rules following Winter Storm Uri last February, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has proposed changes to designate critical natural gas infrastructure during energy emergencies. Proposed rule 3.65 specifies the process under which entities that provide natural gas would be designated as critical customers or gas suppliers during an…

Changes in regional and global natural gas pricing, along with the transition to low-carbon energy, are creating challenges and opportunities for large natural gas buyers in North America, a panel of experts agreed Wednesday (July 21). The discussion at the LDC Gas Forums-Northeast event in Boston came a day before prompt-month Henry Hub prices surpassed…

The Texas power grid chief this week laid the groundwork for improving electric reliability following the unprecedented freeze and subsequent blackouts in February during Winter Storm Uri. Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) interim CEO Brad Jones sent the “Roadmap to Improving Grid Reliability” to Gov. Greg Abbott, state legislators and the Public Utility Commission…

As the Texas legislative session drew to a close over the weekend, lawmakers approved bills aimed at overhauling the state’s electric grid — and those who govern it — following February’s massive winter storm that left residents in the dark for days amid record cold temperatures. “This is our response, this body’s response, to the…

Natural gas-fired power generation declined 7% in the first four months of 2021 versus the same period a year earlier, a reflection of higher prices and increased competition from renewable fuels, according to new federal data. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report Monday the decline marked the first year/year decrease for the…

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy Corp. was tagged with $1 billion in added fuel costs by Winter Storm Uri in February, for which it plans to seek recovery from state regulatory commissions, according to CEO Ben Fowke. Fowke, during a 1Q2021 earnings conference call Thursday said the fuel costs from the storm came “despite strong operational performance.”…