New England residents aren't going to like opening their power bills this winter. Why? Electric utilities there are predicting rate increases of from 30 to 50 percent because the natural gas supply system isn't adequate to deliver enough to meet demand.
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Credit: Wikimedia Commons/MarkBuckawicki |
The numbers vary a little but a few years ago, natural gas supplied the New England region with about 15 percent of its power. Now the number is more like 46 percent. And while forecasts predict this winter will not be as cold as last year, it is still going to be cold.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) says natural gas prices in the region are now some of the cheapest in the country, thanks in part to a mild summer. But FERC and others fully expect the higher rates in winter because there just isn't enough infrastructure.
There are too few pipelines to meet New England's current level of demand. And winters are generally expected to get colder for the area. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said February 2014 was the 37th coldest on record for the country. In addition, meteorological conditions drew out the winter longer than usual.
More pipelines are expected, but not until 2016. More and larger lines have been proposed for 2018. But that likely isn't much comfort to New Englanders now.
And there is resistance to new construction from both environmental groups that oppose them and from legislators.
A quote from a Berkshire Eagle op-ed piece written by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in August probably summed it up best: "Before we sink more money in gas infrastructure, we have an obligation wherever possible to focus our investments on the clean technologies of the future -- not the dirty fuels of the past -- and to minimize the environmental impact of all our energy infrastructure projects. We can do better -- and we should."
There have been numerous ideas floated for alternatives to natural gas: a mix of wind and other forms of renewable energy, imported hydropower and combined heat and power.
The environment, alternative energy, and questions and issues regarding who pays for the expanded pipeline network and how much new infrastructure is really necessary all need to be addressed. But for now, New Englanders can only hope for a milder winter.
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