Winter 2017-2018 Cold Snap Has PJM Analyzing Natural Gas/Electric Contingencies
Extreme cold weather in December and January has PJM Interconnection performing a contingency analysis of the relationship between its natural gas and electricity systems.
The analysis was triggered by cold weather alerts issued on 10 days between Dec. 27 and Jan. 17, according to Brian Fitzpatrick, PJM senior lead fuel supply analyst.
In the midst of the bomb cyclone, PJM experienced one of its top 10 winter peak demand days — 137,522 MW on Jan. 5 — but neither temperatures nor customer demand reached levels experienced in the polar vortex of 2014, according to a previous report by the regional transmission organization. PJM’s electricity grid performed well during the cold snap, but a major increase in related uplift charges shows the need to reform pricing for energy and reserves, according to that report.
A risk assessment performed since then by PJM found no reliability issues, and the grid operator concluded that it needs no additional reserves.
However, it did identify about 70 potential gas contingencies, most related to loss of local distribution companies and compressor stations off the Texas Eastern Transmission and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line systems, Fitzpatrick said during a meeting of PJM’s operating committee Tuesday.
