Officials: Gas Leak May Cause Blackouts in California
Source: Associated Press
Officials: Gas Leak May Cause Blackouts in California
By BRIAN MELLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Apr 5, 2016, 4:05 PM ET
A massive natural gas well blowout last year that crippled a major energy supply for Southern California could lead to blackouts in the region over 14 days this summer, state officials said Tuesday.
State agencies that studied the impact of the partial shutdown of the Aliso Canyon gas storage field near Los Angeles proposed a series of measures to prevent blackouts, but concluded they "will reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of gas shortages this summer that are large enough to cause electricity interruptions for the region's residents and businesses."
The report anticipated a typical summer without other supply problems. If it's hotter than usual, or other problems crop up, the risk of blackouts would increase.
The report also said up to 18 days of outages could occur in the winter, though further study is needed.
The Southern California Gas Co. facility is the largest natural gas storage area in the West. It provides gas for home and business heating in winter and helps power electric plants in summer when energy demand spikes for air conditioning and other uses.
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