Con Edison: - messages

February 6, 2008
4:35 p.m.

CON EDISON SETS NATURAL GAS THROUGHPUT RECORD IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY

The months of December 2007 and January 2008 set a record for the highest natural gas throughput in Con Edison's history. In December 2007, 31.9 million dekatherms (Dth) moved through Con Edison’s system, whether for distribution to customers, or for generation of electricity and steam. This broke the previous highest monthly throughput mark of 29.68 million Dth set in February, 2007.

In January 2008, Con Edison gas sendout also eclipsed the old record but not the one set the month before. January’s sendout was 31.45 million dekatherms, becoming the second largest monthly throughput. The high numbers represent a combination of consumer growth in natural gas usage and the increase in gas demand as a fuel for electric generation, given the relatively low cost of natural gas (compared with oil). While the weather in December was colder than normal, the overall weather during the two-month period was warmer than normal.

“The unprecedented demand for natural gas underscores the rising awareness of its important environmental benefits,” said Mary Jane McCartney, Con Edison’s senior vice president for gas operations. “Natural gas is a highly efficient form of energy, and as the cleanest fossil fuel, its use helps address environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and acid rain.”

Con Edison distributes natural gas to 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Westchester County. The company has nearly 4,300 miles of gas mains and 377,000 service pipes transporting an average of about 225 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year.

“New research and development efforts also have produced state-of-the-art equipment in the area of trenchless technologies that allows us to replace or repair gas mains without excavations, which represent a significant cost savings,” McCartney added. Con Edison is replacing 120 miles of gas main over a three-year period as part of its infrastructure improvement program, which will help the company keep pace with New York’s growing energy demands.