1977--1978 heating season: projected natural gas curtailments and potential needs for additional alternate fuels

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5248769

Curtailments of natural gas requirements for end-use customers at the national level during the 1977--1978 heating season (November--March) are projected to be 1.83 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). These projected curtailments are 60 billion cubic feet (Bcf) or 3 percent lower than projections made for the 1976--1977 season with both projections based on assumptions of normal winter weather. The 60 Bcf of reduced curtailments is a net figure representing projected increases of 97 Bcf in 23 states and decreases or no change totaling 157 Bcf in the remaining states. Projected gas curtailments at the national level for the 1977--1978 heating season are 155 Bcf lower than the actual curtailments reported for the 1976--1977 heating season. The higher curtailments last season were influenced by colder-than-normal winter weather that occurred in many states east of the Mississippi River and in the upper Midwest. The 155 Bcf decrease in curtailments is a net figure resulting from projected reductions or no change totaling 217 Bcf in 34 states and projected increases of 62 Bcf in 16 other states. Actual gas curtailments reported for the 1976--1977 heating season were 531 Bcf higher than actual curtailments reported for the 1975--1976 season. The 1976--1977 winter weather was 13 percent colder than normal nationally, and the 1975--1976 season was 7 percent warmer than normal (based on population-weighted degree days). Reasons for changes in curtailments, projections of curtailments by type of customer, local areas subject to gas curtailments problems, availability of alternate fuels, and estimated magnitude of additional costs of substituting alternate fuels for curtailed gas volumes are given.

• Research Organization: National Energy Information Center, Washington, D.C. (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5248769
• Report Number(s): DOE/EIA-0015
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
031000 -- Natural Gas-- Legislation & Regulations
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
292000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
294003 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Natural Gas
ALLOCATIONS
AVAILABILITY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SUPPLIES
FLUIDS
FORECASTING
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GASES
NATURAL GAS
NORTH AMERICA
USA