Natural Gas News – February 21, 2019

NiSource’s Bill From Natural-Gas Explosion Near Boston Approaches $1 Billion

Dispatch reported: The bill from the natural-gas explosion that rocked three Boston suburbs in September is up to $888 million and climbing. NiSource, the parent company of Columbia Gas of Ohio and Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, laid out the growing tab in its quarterly financial report released Wednesday. The Sept. 13 explosion in the Lawrence, Massachusetts, area killed one person, injured several others and damaged thousands of homes and businesses. Expenses incurred by NiSource as a result of the blast were $426 million in the final three months of 2018, the company said. So far, the company has recovered $5 million from its insurers. For more on this story visit dispatch.com or click https://bit.ly/2tykDZr

Mexico Sees Dependency On US Natural Gas Imports As A Risk, Seeks Private Support to Diversify Energy Mix

S&P Global reported: Mexico’s most significant strategic energy risk is its large dependency on natural gas imports from the United States, a senior adviser with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday. Mexico is the only country in the world that sources over 50% of its natural gas supply from a single country, Abel Hibert said during the Mexico Energy Forum 2019 in Mexico City. “We have to diversify our energy supply as well as generation sources,” Hibert said. “Our large dependency on gas imports is our greatest strategic risk.” In Mexico, 62% of power is generated using gas, while in other import-dependent countries this level does not exceed 40%. Meanwhile, clean generation only represented 21% of all electricity generated in the country, he added. Hibert said the government is going to release strategic planning documents related to the energy sector by mid-2019 after it publishes its National Development Plan in April, which is the administration’s main planning document. For more on this story visit spglobal.com or click https://bit.ly/2XeDXs6