FERC outlines catastrophic gas, grid threats

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The natural gas system in New York City nearly failed during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, leaving a million customers without heat, according to federal regulators. The incident, which was not previously disclosed publicly, occurred when pipeline pressure rapidly declined and gas flows were halted at a utility station in Manhattan. Consolidated Edison, the state's largest utility, took emergency action to prevent a catastrophic gas system failure that could have lasted for months. The incident highlights concerns about the reliability of the nation's electric and gas systems amid severe weather events, and federal regulators are calling for mandatory federal reliability standards for the entire natural gas system.

According to the final report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corp., more electric capacity went offline during Winter Storm Elliott than during any previous storms, underscoring the need for improvements in grid reliability. The report also highlighted potential problems with forecasting and recommended measures to protect power plants from extreme cold weather. FERC approved four natural gas projects despite continued disagreement over how to assess their greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental advocates and community activists criticized the approvals, calling for more analysis of the climate impacts of gas projects.