State utility regulators announced Monday a new effort to prevent breakdowns of gas deliveries to power plants and households during extreme storms like Winter Storm Elliott two years ago that nearly cut off gas service to 1.1 million customers in New York City.
A Natural Gas Readiness Forum will be created to bring together officials from the gas and electricity sectors, state regulators, and regional grid operators to improve coordination. The forum will be an industry-led voluntary effort under the American Gas Association “aimed at improving the communication, preparation and readiness of the energy sector,” the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners announced at its winter meeting in Anaheim, California.
The forum will hold an annual “readiness summit” in advance of winter seasons. A timetable for launching the forum was not announced.
The forum initiative “marks a new beginning for reliability while also serving as a platform to protect customers,” said NARUC President Julie Fedorchak, a member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission who was elected to Congress last week.
