| Arizona Republic
After a historic winter storm that shut down much of Texas, natural gas suppliers in Arizona are asking customers to save where possible by taking shorter showers and not using appliances like gas stoves unless necessary.
Arizona has no natural gas wells and no storage space. The fuel is shipped to the state, much of it from New Mexico and Texas.
Southwest Gas, which provides residential services in Arizona and Nevada, said the call is to reduce the impact on customers, who have to pay for the fluctuating fuel price as of now. But the city of Mesa on Thursday issued a warning that the supply of the fuel itself could be in jeopardy.
“Unfortunately, our ability to rely on these gas supplies is a major risk to limit in the next few days,” the city said in a press release. Mesa operates a gas and electrical utility industry for residents.
The city quoted the governor of Texas as saying that gas producers should only export the fuel on Sunday, keeping the stock in that state.
“This order could jeopardize the ability of the city of Mesa’s gas supply to procure sufficient supplies to meet our customers’ requirements,” the city said Thursday. “As a result, we are asking our customers to conserve and curtail non-essential use of natural gas over the next few days.”
Southwest Gas, UniSource and other gas suppliers made a similar request for preservation on Wednesday.
“As far as the question is concerned, there is definitely nothing we need to worry about here in Arizona,” said Southwest Gas spokeswoman Amy Washburn.
Natural gas prices have skyrocketed across the country as a result of the storms, which are increasing the demand for fuel for domestic heating and power stations. In addition, gas wells where the fuel is led off the ground were affected by snow and ice, which reduced the supply.
Costs are passed on to customers
Fuel-based utilities carry the costs through their bills.
“The price of gas varies according to supply and demand and Southwest Gas does not benefit from the cost of natural gas,” the utility said in a press release. “Natural gas costs are passed on directly to customers. Although we can not predict when the costs will return to normal, Southwest Gas recommends that customers save all weekend.”
Warmer weather that reduces the demand for gas should help.
“I understand things are starting to normalize a little bit, so that’s fine,” Washburn said Thursday.
Mesa could not estimate how much the price increases would affect customers, but said the city was forced by Texas contractors this week not to honor their contracts. .
“To limit the need to purchase these extremely expensive price supplies, Mesa is asking natural gas customers to save natural gas,” the city said.
Salt River Project does not provide residential gas services, but burns natural gas in several power stations.
“At this point, the gas producers and suppliers are continuing with the delivery,” SRP spokesman Scott Harelson said Thursday. “We do not expect problems with our system, but are actively monitoring the situation.”
Arizona Public Service Co. also uses gas at several power plants in Arizona.
Spokesman Alan Bunnell said Thursday that his Texas supply was cut short, but that APS had mitigated the disruption with natural gas from New Mexico and delayed maintenance of the Palo Verde nuclear power plant and a coal-fired power plant to to keep it available. to meet the demand.
“It is our responsibility to maintain a diverse supply of resources and to manage our system effectively so that our customers are supplied with electricity during difficult times,” Bunnell said.
Both APS and SRP carry the price they pay for natural gas for power plants to customers through line items on bills, which, like Southwest Gas, are a direct passage to customers.
Reach Reporter Ryan Randazzo by ryan.randazzo@ arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.
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