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WISCONSIN — We Energies, a leading Wisconsin utility company, lifted the demand Saturday after 11 hours after asking customers to reduce their natural gas usage and turn their thermostats down from 60 degrees to 62 degrees.
After a “major equipment failure” in a pipeline that supplies natural gas to We Energies’ distribution network, the company had initially asked customers to refrain from use on Friday night. This failure reduced the amount of fuel the company was supposed to send by 30%.
But cuts and voluntary compliance by households allowed the system to stabilize late Friday and avoid outages during a very cold night.
We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said: “We really just wanted to send the message that everyone needs to take small actions that will have big consequences – and it did.”
Conway said this is the first time We Energies has asked a customer to cut back on natural gas due to delivery problems. Part of the problem had to do with extremely cold temperatures.
“Usually, customers don’t have to reduce their usage when problems like this occur. We are unable to receive natural gas,” We Energies said in a statement on Friday.
“This cold snap is very extreme and severe, creating an extraordinary problem, but we have plans and procedures in place,” Conway added. “We implemented them, and with the help of our customers, we avoided the worst-case scenario.”
Amid the crisis, We Energies said it has also taken steps to reduce demand for natural gas, with storage facilities for liquefied natural gas and propane. We Energies said it has also cut back on natural gas for corporate customers who have “agreed special billing for this type of event.”
We at Energy had recommended to our customers to use blankets on top of each other to stay warm. I also suggested. Additionally, the company was advising customers to keep the door closed to trap the heat.
“This move will help our customers stay safe and warm and avoid major natural gas outages,” We Energies said in a statement Friday.
We Energies also asked customers to avoid using other natural gas appliances such as fireplaces, dryers and ovens, and recommended cooking in other appliances such as slow cookers and microwave ovens.
Despite Friday’s problem, Conway said Wisconsin’s power grid has held up pretty well to this Arctic blast. No major blackouts have occurred.
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