Deep Freeze in U.S. Creates Heating Squeeze for Homeowners and Utilities
- 6 years ago
Deep Freeze in U.S. Creates Heating Squeeze for Homeowners and Utilities
The South Carolina Electric & Gas Company appealed to customers to scale back their energy use as a precautionary
measure “as extreme cold temperatures in the area put a strain on the company’s electricity system.”
For utilities, the shale-drilling boom of recent years made natural gas a primary
fuel for generating electricity, as prices dropped and supplies grew.
ISO New England said coal and oil had helped generate nearly 35 percent of the power provided
by generators in the region as of Wednesday, with natural gas generating 24 percent.
Homeowners, businesses and utilities across much of the United States were keeping a close watch on fuel
supplies Wednesday as a record-setting cold snap caused demand for heating oil and natural gas to soar.
“Because natural gas prices are rising, coal and oil are reaching in to take its place.”
PJM Interconnection, which oversees the Mid-Atlantic grid, estimated
that demand for electricity would reach 135,787 megawatts on Wednesday, nearing its record winter load of 143,129 megawatts, which was recorded in February 2015
In the past, natural gas has typically accounted for nearly half of the area’s electricity, followed by nuclear power, hydroelectric
and other renewables; coal and oil together were responsible for less than 3 percent.
The South Carolina Electric & Gas Company appealed to customers to scale back their energy use as a precautionary
measure “as extreme cold temperatures in the area put a strain on the company’s electricity system.”
For utilities, the shale-drilling boom of recent years made natural gas a primary
fuel for generating electricity, as prices dropped and supplies grew.
ISO New England said coal and oil had helped generate nearly 35 percent of the power provided
by generators in the region as of Wednesday, with natural gas generating 24 percent.
Homeowners, businesses and utilities across much of the United States were keeping a close watch on fuel
supplies Wednesday as a record-setting cold snap caused demand for heating oil and natural gas to soar.
“Because natural gas prices are rising, coal and oil are reaching in to take its place.”
PJM Interconnection, which oversees the Mid-Atlantic grid, estimated
that demand for electricity would reach 135,787 megawatts on Wednesday, nearing its record winter load of 143,129 megawatts, which was recorded in February 2015
In the past, natural gas has typically accounted for nearly half of the area’s electricity, followed by nuclear power, hydroelectric
and other renewables; coal and oil together were responsible for less than 3 percent.