US EIA Report Shows How Winter Storms Have Reduced US Natural Gas Production, But Disruptions Can Happen Any Time Of The Year
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On March 13, 2024, the US Energy Information Administration posted an article describing how winter storms disrupt US natural gas production.

Over the last four winters, winter storms Uri (February 2021), Elliott (December 2022), and most recently, Heather (January 2024) interrupted weekly U.S. natural gas production by more than 15 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), according to daily estimates from S&P Global Commodity Insights.

These declines were the largest interruptions to U.S. natural gas production during the past four years.

Although the impacts of these disruptions appear more muted over the course of a month, winter storms Uri and Elliott still drove declines in monthly average natural gas production of 3 Bcf/d to 7 Bcf/d.

Interruptions to natural gas production can occur at any time of the year in the United States and often vary in scale and impact.

These interruptions can be caused by different factors, including inclement weather, maintenance events, or temporary oversupply conditions that cause a producer to reduce the volume of natural gas moving through a pipeline system.

Severe weather that affects one or more of the major U.S. natural gas-producing regions, such as the Appalachia, Permian, and Haynesville regions, can cause noticeable levels of interruption on a national scale.

These three regions combined accounted for 66% of U.S. natural gas production in 2023 and had accounted for 60% in 2022.

In the Northeast region, which includes Appalachian Basin production activity, reductions in natural gas production during Winter Storm Elliott in 2022 were much larger than the declines during winter storms Uri and Heather.

Because below-freezing temperatures are more frequent in the Northeast, producers tend to install additional equipment to lessen the challenges of cold weather.

However, temperatures fell below 0°F in many parts of the Northeast region during Winter Storm Elliott, reducing natural gas production volumes by over 6 Bcf/d.

During the storm, temperatures in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, declined to as low as -5°F on December 23, 2022, a record low for that day.

Interruptions in natural gas production typically include various individual producer actions at wells, gathering systems, and transportation networks.

Some producers temporarily and pre-emptively suspend production, often before adverse weather or maintenance work that is likely to reduce the natural gas takeaway capacity of a distribution system.

Other production interruptions are involuntary. Freeze-offs can occur when water or hydrates (crystals containing water and hydrocarbon molecules) in the natural gas stream freeze at a lower temperature or pressure, which creates blockages and disrupts the flow of natural gas from a well or through a natural gas transportation system.

Freeze-offs can also occur when:

-- Ice forms on equipment or on moving parts of the natural gas transportation system, which can block automated controls from functioning properly or cause valves or other equipment to freeze closed or open

-- Freezing temperatures cause power outages that prevent natural gas equipment from functioning properly

-- Snow or ice prevents worker access to key equipment rooms or production spaces that control production

Click Here to read the entire US EIA article.

[Note: Natural gas disruptions have a significant impact on electric power generation in Pennsylvania because as the Independent Fiscal Office reported in its latest Pennsylvania Electricity update the state’s electricity grid is dependent on one fuel for 59% of the state’s electricity generation--  natural gas-- followed by nuclear power-- 31.9%, coal-- 5.4% and 3.7% from other sources.  Read more here.] 

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 9 to 15  - Home Explosion; 140 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Methane In Water Supply; Porcupine Causes Wastewater Spill  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 16 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 76  Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 16 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Gas:

-- Shapiro Marks Plugging 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well: These Companies Will Do Anything To Avoid Paying For Plugging; It’s Not Okay Some In The Legislature Are Shielding Them; Text Well Locations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Cites Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators For Abandoning, Not Plugging 140 More Wells Last Week; Total Now 380 Wells This Year  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Will Not Be Eligible For New Methane Reduction Well Plugging Grants If They Are Not In Compliance With State Law, Regulations  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania’s Electric Grid Is Dependent On One Fuel To Generate 59% Of Our Electricity; Market Moving To Renewables + Storage   [PaEN]

-- US EIA Report Shows How Winter Storms Have Reduced US Natural Gas Production, But Disruptions Can Happen Any Time Of The Year  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violation To Blackhill Energy, LLC Shale Gas Driller For Contaminating Groundwater, 3 Water Supplies With Methane In Springfield Twp., Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Public Utility Commission Starts Investigation Into Possible Order For Another Utility To Permanently Acquire Venango Water Company Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Spill [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Violation To CNX Gas Company For Withdrawing Over 1.8 Million Gallons Of Water For Fracking For 22 Days Without Permission [PaEN]

-- Clean Air Council, Moms Clean Air Force, Earthworks Host March 20 Webinar On Federal Waste Oil & Gas Emission Charges  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 30 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- WVIA: Frustrated With Water Polluted By Shale Gas Drilling, Dimock, Susquehanna County Residents Confront Governor At Clean Energy Announcement In Scranton

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Plugs 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well

-- TribLive: ‘Complete Devastation:’ Crescent Fire Chief Confirms 2 Dead In Another Allegheny House Explosion; Gas Well, Propane On The Property 

-- TribLive: Friends, Neighbors Remember Victims Of Crescent Twp. House Explosion In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: Crescent House Explosion Marks 3rd In Western PA Since Summer

-- WTAE: 3 Allegheny County Home Explosion Investigations Launched In Past 2 Years Remain Open

-- WTAE: Firefighters Return To Scene Of Crescent House Explosion After Fire Rekindles

-- WTAE: Crescent Twp. Police Thank Columbia Gas Worker Who Rushed To Shut Off Gas On Scene Of Home Explosion

-- WPXI: 2 Dead In Large House Explosion In Crescent Twp., Allegheny County; Private Gas Well, Propane Found And Secured 

-- Post-Gazette: 2 Killed In An ‘Absolutely Extreme’ Home Explosion In Crescent Twp., Allegheny County

-- AP: ‘Very Significant’ Explosion Kills 2 And Destroys House In Allegheny County

-- WPXI: DEP Acknowledges Presence Of Unregistered Conventional Gas Wells Near Site Of Tuesday Explosion

-- KDKA: Fmr DEP Officials Says It’s ‘Nearly Impossible’ To Identify All Unregistered Conventional Gas Wells

-- WPXI: Peoples Natural Gas Pipeline Has Been Leaking Gas Since October In Verona, Allegheny County

-- Scranton Times: Gas Leak Evacuates Downtown Olyphant For 2 Hours In Lackawanna County

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Natural Gas Is A Winner For Pennsylvania And The Whole Country - By Dan Weaver, PA Independent Oil & Gas Association

-- Public News Service: PA Advocates Push For Swift Update Of Federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Rules 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Environmentalists Clash With Gov. Shapiro At Hydrogen Energy Meeting In Northeast Philly

-- Inside Climate News: Delaware RiverKeeper, Activists Want More Public Participation In Proposed Hydrogen Hub In Southeastern PA

-- TribLive: Water Use Restrictions Lifted As Beaver Run Reservoir Levels Return To Normal In Westmoreland

-- Environmental Defense Fund: New Study Quantifies Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Flaring In US

-- AP: US Energy Industry Gas Leaks Are Triple The Official Figures, Study Finds

-- Bloomberg: Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emissions Near Record Despite Pledges

-- Environmental Health News: Participation In Oil & Gas Line Development Harms Mental Health And Creates Distrust In Government, Study

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Report: Billions In PA Taxpayer Subsidies Go To Polluting Shell Petrochemical Plant Without Regard To Environmental Compliance

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: US Taxpayers Have Subsidized Fossil Fuels For 111 Years, And Counting

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Gas Driller To Acquire Equitrans Midstream [Mountain Valley Pipeline; Cambria County 1.1 Billion Cubic Foot Gas Leak; Abandoned Wells; PA Criminal Charges]

-- EQT Gas Company Announcement Of Equitrans Midstream

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Why EQT Gas Is Acquiring Equitrans Midstream Corp

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Could Be Sold After Equitrans Acquisition

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Prices Jump As EQT Slashes Output To Fight Glut

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Producers Reduce Output In 2024 [To Raise Prices] While Demand Rises To Record High, US EIA Says

-- Forbes: U.S. Natural Gas Production Set New Record, But Don’t Expect Relief On Your Heating Bills [LNG Exports Link U.S. To High Prices]   [PaEN]

-- Reuters: Owner Of Louisiana LNG Gas Export Facility Under Construction Asks FERC To Keep Documents Confidential Related To Startup And Repairs

-- Reuters: Chinese Company Wants Say In Louisiana LNG Gas Export Facility Permit Extension

Related Articles - Energy/Climate Plan:

-- Gov. Shapiro Unveils Cap-And-Invest PA Climate Emissions Reduction Initiative To Reduce Carbon Pollution From Power Plants; Update Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards To Diversify Electric Generation, Improve Reliability  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Joins Industry, Labor, Environmental, Consumer Leaders To Highlight New Energy Plan To Create Jobs, Lower Costs For Pennsylvanians  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro: PA Labor & Industry Leaders Praise Energy/Climate Plan

-- Gov. Shapiro: PA Environmental Leaders Praise Energy/Climate Plan

-- Gov. Shapiro On Republican Reaction To His Energy Plan: They’ve Done Nothing And Power ‘Plants Have Closed On Their Watch;’ They’re ‘Used To Doing Nothing;’ ‘Doing Nothing Is Not Acceptable’ [PaEN]

-- Senate Republicans Reject Gov. Shapiro’s Offer To Work On Legislation To Make The Electric Grid More Reliable, Diversify Our Energy Sources, Lower Energy Costs For Ratepayers, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions  [PaEN]

-- EPA: Pennsylvania One Of 45 States, MSAs To Submit Priority Climate Action Plans As Part Of $5 Billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Will Not Be Eligible For New Methane Reduction Well Plugging Grants If They Are Not In Compliance With State Law, Regulations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Changes To General Air Quality Permit Authorizing Coal Mine Methane Flares  [PaEN]

[Posted: March 13, 2024]


3/18/2024

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