NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE
Texas’ natural gas production, processing, transmission, and storage sectors continue to have needed production and storage. No significant changes in production, pressures or availability have been reported. Localized issues have occurred as anticipated with weather events; however, there has been minimal impact to the overall natural gas production and distribution system. Transmission and distribution systems are experiencing stable pressures and receiving needed products. Preparedness and response protocols have been able to be implemented to respond to and restore operations as needed. Several reports of localized power outages have occurred in the Permian and Delaware Basins. Operators are working with electric transmission providers to address isolated outages and are expected to return to operations.
TEXAS FIELD CONDITIONS
Overall conditions have been stable even with the cold temperatures. Personnel have been able to respond to any issues as they arise with no significant impediments. Production and operations are all within the anticipated ranges. A few isolated impacts to operators across the natural gas supply chain such as power outages or third-party impacts have occurred, but these have been minor to overall systems and at this time conditions are not impacting ability to resolve. Transportation pressure is reported as stable, storage and supply are readily available to meet requirements. No systemic loss of power to operations have been reported, the couple localized power outages in the Permian and Delaware Basins are mainly related to wind but most have been or are anticipated to be reestablished.
TEXAS POWER STATUS
ERCOT reports operations normal as of Sunday, January 14 at 10:15 AM. Peak demand is anticipated to occur at 5:00 PM. Available capacity at peak demand is expected to be 88,749 MW, with the demand forecast at 65,627 MW. There is expected to be enough power to meet demand.
Source: ERCOT, 1/14/24, 10:15 AM
WEATHER STATUS
Cold air weather front is proving to be colder than most models predicted, creating even colder temps for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
National Weather Service reports temperatures dangerously cold today through Tuesday:
Temperatures 20-30 degrees below normal
Wind chill values -25F to 0F for northern half of the state and 0F to 25F for the southern half of the state on Monday morning & Tuesday morning
Multiple days (Today-Tue) of sub-freezing temps for I-20 northward
Mix of wintry precipitation this afternoon/evening into Monday for parts of North into South-Central and East TX
Confidence of wintry precipitation has increased and expect to see throughout South-Central and East TX. Overall accumulation is not expected to impact power lines, etc. but can impact transportation. Temperatures in these areas are not anticipated to rise above freezing until later Tuesday.
WINTERIZATION IN THE FIELD
Onsite, seasonal weatherization techniques include methanol injection, temperature activated pumps, steamer units, equipment shelters, and insulated critical lines and valves. Additional pre-storm and offsite measures include:
Securing shelter/housing and pre-positioning personnel to be closer to assets for access
Adjusting employee schedules to ensure planning and preparations are in place
Having extra methanol and other supplies on trucks
Preparing and draining tanks to increase on-site storage and providing a temporary buffer for necessary third-party movement of product
Pre-inspection of assets prior to weather events
“Line-packing” to maximize product and pressurization in pipelines
Communication with third party vendors to prepare for inclement weather contingencies
Identification of the most critical assets to help maintain power from electric utilities
IMPACT OF WEATHER ON FIELD OPERATIONS
Personnel safety and ensuring safe operations are the first priorities of operators. Many elements can impact continued field operations outside of the operator’s control.
Transportation – the accumulation of precipitation can impact operators’ ability to access remote well sites to check on operations and make any needed adjustments
>> Third party contractor disruptions
>> Lightning strikes
>> Loss of power
>> Telecommunication loss
INDUSTRY ACTIONS
Read more about how the Texas oil and natural gas industry prepares for winter weather events
STATEWIDE RESOURCES
>> TDEM maintains a webpage with information and resources here.
>> TxDOT provides road closure information in real-time, which can be found here.
>> RRC reports road issues to TXDOT. You can submit a road issue form here.
>> RRC notice to operators ahead of winter weather can be found here.
>> RRC provides a weatherization practices guidance document here.
>> RRC maintains a 24-hour, toll-free emergency line, 844-773-0305, to report emergencies, including leaks or spills and damage to gas pipelines.
>> PUC provides an electric outage map, which can be found here.
>> TCEQ reports water and sewage outages here.
>> ERCOT shares a grid condition dashboard, which can be found here.
For more information on how the Texas oil and natural gas industry prepares for winter weather, visit TXOGA.org/WinterReady.
