AGA Chair Tells Investors, “Natural gas utilities are always planning for the future”
New York, NY – American Gas Association (AGA) Chair Kimberly Harris today outlined how a focus by natural gas utilities on planning for the future has already paid dividends in 2018, as customers have been able to depend on the benefits of natural gas amid frigid temperatures. The President and Chief Executive Officer of Puget Sound Energy in Washington state spoke at an annual luncheon at the CFA Society New York (formerly the New York Society of Security Analysts).
“Natural gas utilities are always planning for the future,” Harris said. “Our customers throughout the nation enjoy hot showers, warm food and comfortable homes this winter due to planning that began years ago. The process involves a portfolio approach to purchasing gas and underground storage and operating the nation’s 2.5-million-mile pipeline network for safe and reliable delivery.”
The first day of 2018 set a national single-day natural gas consumption record at 147.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf). That day was one among 14 consecutive days of 100 Bcf or more of daily gas consumption in the U.S., as America’s natural gas utilities continued to deliver during unprecedented and sustained cold in many parts of the country.
Harris said, “Natural gas utilities are thinking about the customers we serve today and the millions more who want to fuel their homes and communities with natural gas. We are adapting our companies to meet their needs by extending our delivery systems to unserved and underserved areas. We are also advancing new technologies to create cleaner options for customers who want to do business with companies that reflect their values.”
Harris shared stories from throughout the country of natural gas utilities using innovative technology and other methods to help their communities realize the benefits of natural gas, including:
- A church that will save $30,000 per year by switching to natural gas, because the local utility extended the pipeline network to reach them and the nearly 30 single-family homes nearby.
- A partnership between a local utility and the city’s department of environmental protection that will capture renewable natural gas from a wastewater treatment center to heat homes in the community and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 90,000 metric tons.
- An LNG facility that will serve various customer demands, including fuel for maritime ships, and reduce harmful pollutants in the air and water by more than 90 percent.
These technologies and many more will be on display when AGA hosts the World Gas Conference in June in Washington, DC.
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AGA Media Contact:
Jake Rubin
