Presentations were made, questions raised, and most important, assumptions aired during last Tuesday’s kickoff meeting in Sacramento for the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) natural gas supply/demand study of the West region of North America. Additional input before the research begins is due to the California Energy Commission (CEC) by July 7.

Results of the meeting will be published on the CEC web site (www.energy.ca.gov) and the web site for the Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB), the governors’ association energy policy arm (www.westgov.org/natgas/index.htm).

An energy commission staff member hosting the workshop said Friday there were few surprises, but it was made clear that there are still “a few issues to deal with” among the varied stakeholders in this research effort — the first of its kind on a regional basis this broad. Assumptions — such as when and if liquefied natural gas (LNG) arrives — will play a big role, the staff member said.

The CEC team, which has contracted with the governors’ group to complete a two-phase, first-ever regional study, will have its next public meeting — probably in the late fall — to review an initial draft of the first phase results, the CEC staff member said. The second phase will be completed in the fall of next year.

Initiated by the governors’ WIEB, the study’s mission is to “conduct a comprehensive study of western energy supplies and infrastructure.” The workshop provided a lot of time for discussion of LNG’s potential impact on the region, which covers 12 western U. S. states and western portions of Canada and Mexico.

While contributing to the ongoing analyses of electric generation resource adequacy, the assessment will focus on North American natural gas pipeline systems, with an emphasis on three western Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan), the western United States, and northern Mexico, CEC officials said. “All natural gas consuming sectors will be analyzed — residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation.”

Tuesday’s session concentrated on the study’s first phase — an analysis of normal temperature and hydroelectric resources. Cold weather and low-hydroelectric conditions also will be assessed for their impacts on natural gas supply/demand. The meeting drew all of the major stakeholders it had hoped for, according to the CEC staff member.

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