U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis

Press Room

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON DC 20585

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2016

EIA's daily energy dashboard for Southern California now focuses on key winter energy market factors

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has updated its Southern California Daily Energy Report to provide additional information on key energy market indicators for the winter season. This dashboard report includes information that EIA regularly compiles about energy operations and the management of natural gas and electricity systems in Southern California in the aftermath of a leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Los Angeles. Although the leak has since been plugged, regulators have placed ongoing limitations on the use of that facility.

In Southern California, natural gas demand is higher during winter months than in other seasons, reflecting the use of natural gas to heat residential and commercial buildings. EIA has updated several aspects of the dashboard to reflect the different potential stresses on the Southern California energy system during peak winter months.

The commentary tab of the report reviews the elements of the dashboard and discusses their significance. Key elements in the winter dashboard include:

Los Angeles temperatures, both recent and forecast, in the context of historical norms. For the winter, temperatures are a good measure of likely furnace load for space heating needs, and Los Angeles is the center of the metropolitan area. These daily ranges are compared with normal ranges and with record ranges.

Working gas storage level, in the context of year-ago level and 5-year range. Lower storage levels relative to prior winters indicate how much less in-region stored natural gas is available to meet natural gas demand this winter.

Recent daily natural gas receipts and demand (sendout). These data show if daily non-storage sources of natural gas are sufficient to meet demand. Net daily changes in SoCalGas storage inventories show how storage injections and withdrawals balance demand for natural gas with available supplies.

Deliveries of natural gas into the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) system from interstate natural gas pipelines and from the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) system. With less natural gas available from storage, deliveries to SoCalGas are likely to be more important this winter than in past winters.

Differences in the Southern California Border natural gas spot price and prices at other market points. Changes in natural gas spot prices can indicate constraints or disruptions in the natural gas system. Higher-than-normal price differences between downstream (demand) market points and upstream (supply) market points can result from conditions such as wellhead freeze-offs, high market demand, cold weather in the Southwest, high use of pipeline networks, or unplanned outages on pipelines.

Electricity imports from the Pacific Northwest into Southern California. To have natural gas available to meet residential and commercial customer needs on the coldest days, electric utilities and grid managers may rely on electricity imports to a greater extent than when Aliso Canyon was fully operational and much higher levels of stored gas were available.

Spot hourly electricity prices. EIA reports SP-15 locational marginal prices (LMPs) by hour. Using hourly LMPs instead of daily, on-peak, average LMPs makes it easier to assess how changes in hourly loads and hourly electricity imports align with changes in hourly prices.

Regional map with key natural gas pipeline and storage infrastructure in Southern California. A revised map now includes daily total natural gas receipts from interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines by major zones in the SoCalGas system.

The winter edition of the report continues to provide information on spot natural gas prices and regional hourly electric power loads that were included in the summer version, which continues to be available. The report also provides occasional market commentary and links to other related information resources. The dashboard is updated at about 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time every morning.

The Southern California Daily Energy Report can be found at: http://www.eia.gov/special/disruptions/socal/.

The product described in this press release was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA's data, analysis, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the United States Government. The views in the product and press release therefore should not be construed as representing those of the Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

EIA Program Contact: Chris Peterson, 202-586-4804, Christopher.Peterson@eia.gov

EIA Press Contact: Jonathan Cogan, 202-586-8719, Jonathan.Cogan@eia.gov

EIA-2016-07