Joint Agency Workshop On Natural Gas Reliability In Los Angeles Basin
Four key energy agencies are holding a joint public workshop in Southern California to address the reliability of natural gas supply to the Los Angeles Basin.
The April 8 discussion is key in light of the now-sealed Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility and concern about whether there will be enough natural gas to produce the electricity needed during potential hot spells this summer.
The California Energy Commission is conducting the workshop in conjunction with the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Independent System Operator, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The workshop is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills at 21850 Oxnard Street in Woodland Hills. There will be opportunity for public comment.
During the workshop, the staff from the four agencies will present a draft action plan that lays out the recommended measures needed to improve energy reliability for summer 2016, including a call for conservation by electricity customers and greater use of energy efficient appliances. The joint agency team is a result of an emergency proclamation from Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Aliso Canyon is an essential part of Southern California’s natural gas system, serving more than 11 million people in the Los Angeles Basin. The facility typically supplies the extra natural gas needed to produce electricity for high demand times such as hot, summer days when air conditioning use spikes.
Existing pipelines in the basin lack to capacity to make up the shortfall from Aliso Canyon. Other storage facilities in Southern California are too small or located too far away to provide the gas quickly enough when needed.
The April 8 workshop will focus on the near-term gas and electricity reliability risks to the Los Angeles Basin and not the future role of Aliso Canyon, ongoing investigations or other regulatory issues. The action plan will describe risks and recommend near-term mitigation measures.
More information about the April 8 event can be found here.
