Cold Snap Pushes Use of Gas Fuel to One-Hour Record

San Diego Gas & Electric customers responded to the ongoing cold wave Friday by burning 22 million cubic feet of natural gas between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., breaking the previous one-hour record of 21 million cubic feet set on Dec. 12, 1985.

Gas consumption during the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Friday came within 1 million cubic feet of breaking the previous 24-hour record of 445 million cubic feet.

The cold weather was “a pretty good test of our system,” SDG&E; Gas Control Supervisor Richard Lifer said Friday. “We basically had it at 100% of its capacity during the past 24 hours.”

SDG&E;’s pipeline, which can distribute 440 million to 450 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, handled 444 million cubic feet during the 24-hour period ended at 6 a.m. Friday. SDG&E; purchases most of its natural gas from Southern California Gas.

Early on Friday SDG&E; shifted its electric generation plants from natural gas to fuel oil in order to meet the early-morning demand surge that occurs as households come to life. Such a shift, which occurs several times each year, keeps the juice flowing to residential, commercial and industrial customers, Lifer said. SDG&E; resumed burning gas at those plants Friday afternoon, Lifer said.

Although colder temperatures were forecast for Friday and Saturday, Lifer said SDG&E; does not anticipate additional natural gas shipment records.

“The weekend probably gives us more flexibility because people don’t all get up at the same time like they do during the week,” said Lifer. “It’s easier to handle because we don’t have the peaks and valleys.”

Additionally, industrial demand will fall because fewer people work weekends.

During past cold waves, SDG&E; has alerted industrial customers to the possibility of gas service disruptions. However, Lifer said the ongoing cold wave has not been severe enough to warrant industrial curtailments.