POWER April 2014 - 74

NATURAL GAS
2. Falling stocks. Withdrawals this winter have reduced gas in storage to levels not seen in
years. (Trend for missing years folllowed years shown.) Source: Energy Information Administration
■ 2008 ■ 2010 ■ 2012 ■ 2014
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
forced to issue a conservation alert because
of gas shortages in Southern California.
The chaos in the gas market sent wholesale
electricity prices skyrocketing. Dayahead
prices topped $500/MWh on several
days. On Jan. 23, 2013, PJM had to seek
FERC approval to exceed its electricity
price cap of $1,000/MWh in an attempt to
boost power supplies. Real-time, hourly
prices during Jan. 7-8 climbed into the
$800/MWh range, with 15-minute periods
topping $2,000/MWh.
Overreliance?
January's events have renewed concerns about
a too-rapid shift toward natural gas. ICF International
noted that had planned and projected
coal plant retirements in PJM already occurred
this winter, the region would likely have suffered
rolling blackouts on the worst days.
" Higher-than-bargained-for electricity
gas shortages, the lack of fuel was a major
factor.
To put those figures in perspective, PJM
had never lost more than 9% of its capacity
due to weather. Even with the lost capacity,
PJM, NYISO, MISO, ISO-NE, and ERCOT
all set or neared records for peak demand.
Yet even when the severe weather eased,
the impact continued to be felt. The enormous
demand for gas sent ripples across the
country, and California, though spared the
blast of cold that hit the rest of the nation,
still found itself short of gas. On Feb. 6, the
California Independent System Operator was
costs and an unreliable gird are part and parcel
of what will happen as coal-fueled power
goes offline, " Laura Sheehan, senior vice
president of communications for the American
Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity told
POWER. " This has been predicted for years,
and what we are experiencing now is likely
to become even more prevalent as more coal
2014
Enhanced PDF version now available
The 2014 UDI Who's Who Directory covers more than 4,500
U.S. and Canadian generating plants. The directory provides:
* Nearly 8,100 plant management and support
contact names, titles, and primary job functions.
* Basic plant operating statistics for more than 1,500
power stations, including:
Generation (MWh)
Availability (%)
Heat rate
Capacity Factor (%)
* Power plant design characteristics
Choose which purchase option that best suits your needs:
* Hardcopy Book
* Enhanced Directory PDF (CD-ROM)
* Mailing List (CD-ROM), Enhanced Directory PDF & Hardcopy Book
UDI WHO'S WHO AT ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
For more detailed information and a list of all available data, visit us online at UDIDATA.COM or contact the UDI Editorial team at UDI@Platts.com.
74
www.powermag.com
POWER | April 2014
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
Jun.
Jul.
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Working gas in storage, Lower 48 (Bcf)

http://www.UDIDATA.COM http://www.powermag.com

POWER April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER April 2014