LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The
most recent Aliso Canyon preliminary methane emissions estimates by
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) were posted yesterday,
showing updated rough estimates of the volume of gas leaking from
the well that indicate emissions have decreased from CARB's initial
preliminary estimates, SoCalGas announced today. This new
posting represents an estimated 60-percent reduction in CARB
emissions estimates since the Nov. 28
data, according to the latest CARB monitoring data, and an
approximate 20-percent reduction in emissions estimates since the
most recent Dec. 23 preliminary
estimate by CARB.
CARB releases rough estimates of the volume of gas leaking from
the well based on data collected during periodic flights using
sensitive monitoring equipment. The flyover data provides an
estimated emission rate at the time the flights are conducted, and
are used to develop a rough estimate of the total methane leaked to
date. As CARB also acknowledges, a more refined estimate of
the actual emissions will be conducted once the leak is stopped and
additional data is collected and reviewed.
Preliminary methane emissions based on CARB data collected on
Jan. 8 and posted yesterday show
emissions have declined to 23,400 kilograms per hour from a high
estimate of 58,000 kilograms on Nov.
28, according to information posted on the CARB web
site.
CARB also calculated the total estimated volume of greenhouse
gas (GHG) released from the well since the leak was detected at 1.9
million metric tons in carbon-dioxide equivalent. According to
CARB's report on annual GHG emissions in California, the estimated total from the Aliso
leak is less than one-half of 1 percent (0.4 percent) of
California's total annual GHG
emissions in carbon-dioxide equivalent.
SoCalGas is reiterating its intent to mitigate the environmental
impact of the actual amount of natural gas released from the
leak.
Actions SoCalGas has taken to reduce emissions:
- For several weeks, in consultation with the CPUC, SoCalGas has
been withdrawing natural gas from the storage field at almost
double the typical rate for this time of the year by prioritizing
the use of natural gas from Aliso Canyon to supply customer
demand.
- As a result of SoCalGas' withdrawals, the storage field's
operating capacity has gone from being approximately 90-percent
full before the leak, to being at most 37-percent full, as of
Jan. 10, with the additional amount
that has leaked unknown at this time.
- SoCalGas has developed a gas capture system that is designed to
capture emissions from the well before they are emitted into the
environment. Once permitted, SoCalGas intends to operate this
capture system, provided site-specific safety conditions allow.
This capture system is designed to further reduce a portion of
emissions from entering the atmosphere through diversion and
treatment.
SoCalGas is focused on stopping the leak and reducing air
quality impacts as safely and quickly as reasonably possible.
About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California
Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to
its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's largest
natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 21.4 million
consumers connected through 5.9 million meters in more than 500
communities. The company's service territory encompasses
approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and
Southern California, from
Visalia to the Mexican border.
Southern California Gas Co. is a regulated subsidiary of sempra.com
(NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in
San Diego.
This press release contains statements that are not
historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements can be identified by words like
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Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.
They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future
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respect to the future and other risks, including, among others:
local, regional, national and international economic, competitive,
political, legislative and regulatory conditions and developments;
actions and the timing of actions, including issuances of permits
to construct and licenses for operation, by the California Public
Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, U.S. Department
of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, California Energy
Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Air
Resources Board, and other regulatory, governmental and
environmental bodies in the United
States; the timing and success of business development
efforts and construction, maintenance and capital projects,
including risks in obtaining, maintaining or extending permits,
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and risks in obtaining adequate and competitive financing for such
projects; energy markets, including the timing and extent of
changes and volatility in commodity prices, and the impact of any
protracted reduction in oil and natural gas prices from historical
averages; the impact on the value of our natural gas storage assets
from low natural gas prices, low volatility of natural gas prices
and the inability to procure favorable long-term contracts for
natural gas storage services; delays in the timing of costs
incurred and the timing of the regulatory agency authorization to
recover such costs in rates from customers; deviations from
regulatory precedent or practice that result in a reallocation of
benefits or burdens among shareholders and ratepayers; capital
markets conditions, including the availability of credit and the
liquidity of our investments; inflation and interest rates;
the availability of electric power and natural gas, and natural gas
pipeline and storage capacity, including disruptions caused by
failures in the North American transmission grid, pipeline
explosions and equipment failures; cybersecurity threats to the
energy grid, natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure, the
information and systems used to operate our businesses and the
confidentiality of our proprietary information and the personal
information of our customers, terrorist attacks that threaten
system operations and critical infrastructure, and wars; weather
conditions, conservation efforts, natural disasters, catastrophic
accidents, and other events that may disrupt our operations, damage
our facilities and systems, and subject us to third-party liability
for property damage or personal injuries some of which may or may
not be covered by insurance; risks that our partners or
counterparties will be unable or unwilling to fulfill their
contractual commitments;business, regulatory, environmental and
legal decisions and requirements; the inability or determination
not to enter into long-term supply and sales agreements or
long-term firm capacity agreements due to insufficient market
interest, unattractive pricing or other factors; the resolution of
litigation; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to
predict and many of which are beyond our control. These
risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that
the company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge
on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov.
Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to
update or revise these forecasts or projections or other
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.