American Gas - July 2014 - (Page 17)

charge the $10-to-$25 per dekatherm penalty plus the actual cost of gas, which the Public Staff pegged at $6.06 per dekatherm. In their ﬁlings, both utilities said they were able to service all their customers during the curtailment period with existing supplies. In all, 26 Piedmont customers and 92 PSNC customers did not completely curtail usage when asked. In testimony, PSNC's vice president for gas operations, George Ratchford, said the utility was concerned about the impact of extremely high gas bills on those customers. "Many of these customers are manufacturers, federal and state facilities, and institutional customers who have still not recovered from the effects of the recession," Ratchford wrote. Ratchford said PSNC could have cut service to interruptible customers to ensure service to ﬁrm customers, but that was never necessary during the January curtailment periods. Under their service agreements, interruptible customers are not required to have an alternative source of fuel available. In letters to the commission, several commercial customers described their struggles to curtail their usage during the frigid weather. At a Kimberly-Clark plant in Hendersonville, N.C., the company initially complied with the curtailment order issued on Jan. 6. But when water pipes began freezing and bursting, causing $30,000 in property damage, the company started using natural gas at about half of its typical daily rate. The company is now considering switching to uninterruptible service. At a Bridgestone plant in Oxford, N.C., the company cut its natural gas usage by about two-thirds by switching to fuel oil to operate American School of Gas Measurement Technology September 22-25, 2014 Marriott Westchase * Houston, Texas The ASGMT skillfully merges lecture and hands-on classes to meet the practical application of Natural Gas and NGL (Natural Gas Liquid) Measurement, Quality Determination and Flow Regulation functions. 167 informative classes, combined with 117 knowledgeable exhibitors, and 2 plant tours to provide a well-rounded educational experience! Plan Ahead. Register Early! Early Registration fee is $125. Registration increases to $150 after August 30th. In partnership with Texas A&M University Kingsville, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available. To register online or for additional information, visit www.asgmt.com. NEW for 2014! NGL Measurement Training Measurement Training to Meet Tomorrow's Needs. JULY 2014 AMERICAN GAS 17 http://www.asgmt.com http://www.asgmt.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - July 2014

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American Gas - July 2014