In an unprecedented move on Friday night, We Energies asked customers to reduce their use of natural gas by lowering thermostats to 60-62 degrees. “This request comes after one of the interstate pipeline providers that provides natural gas to We Energies experienced a major equipment failure, which reduced the amount of fuel they normally ship by 30%,” a statement released said. on the company’s website and social media accounts. We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway identified the supplier as Guardian Pipeline, a subsidiary of Oklahoma-based ONEOK. Brad Borror said in an emailed statement Friday night. “Our crews are focused on resolving the issue and restoring capacity in a timely manner. One valve has been restored to service and we continue to work on the second,” Borror added. Conway said We Energies officials would reassess the situation on Saturday. The company’s unusual request for lower thermostats statewide comes as Wisconsinites face one of the coldest nights of the year. Two days before Christmas, households are likely to have more people than usual as families gather for the holidays. “We understand that nobody wants to turn down the thermostat when it’s really cold,” Conway said in a virtual interview, “but if we can get people down to 60-62 degrees, put on an extra sweatshirt, an extra blanket, it’s going to be cool but not dangerously cold and hopefully we can get the pipeline up to full speed and get everything running as fast as possible.” Online, customers criticized the company for its request. “In these temperatures? That’s crazy,” responded one Twitter user. “Not with what I just paid on my last bill,” another user quipped. Many flatly rejected the question. !!” wrote one person, referring to the approval by the Public Utilities Commission this month of a 10.9% rate increase for residential We Energies customers. The increase is expected to take effect in January If customers complied with the request, the We Energies website said it would “avoid a significant natural gas outage. Switch off – it doesn’t. You literally have to go to each house, turn on their meter, walk into their house, turning the pilot light back on, checking that all your natural gas appliances are working properly and safely, and it takes some time,” Conway added. The disclosure of the problem on Friday came a day after Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order declaring a statewide power emergency. “@GovEvers has been briefed by the Wisconsin Public Utilities and Emergency Management Commission on the situation with We Energies,” a spokesperson tweeted, “Our office will remain in close contact with local, state and federal partners as we continue to closely monitor this situation.”
In an unprecedented move on Friday night, We Energies asked customers to reduce their use of natural gas by lowering thermostats to 60-62 degrees.
“This request comes after one of the interstate pipeline providers that provides natural gas to We Energies experienced a significant equipment failure, reducing the amount of fuel they normally ship by 30%,” a statement. posted on company website and social media accounts said.
We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway identified the supplier as Guardian Pipeline, a subsidiary of Oklahoma-based ONEOK.
“Earlier [Friday]Guardian experienced two valve failures at its Sycamore compressor station in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in reduced capacity on our system,” ONEOK spokesman Brad Borror said in an emailed statement Friday. at night.
“Our crews are focused on resolving the issue and restoring capacity in a timely manner. One valve has been restored to service and we continue to work on the second,” Borror added.
Conway said We Energies officials would reassess the situation on Saturday.
The company’s unusual request for lower thermostats statewide comes as Wisconsinites face one of the coldest nights of the year. Two days before Christmas, households are likely to have more people than usual, as families gather for the holidays.
“We understand that nobody wants to turn down the thermostat when it’s really cold,” Conway said in a virtual interview, “but if we get people to turn it down to 60-62 degrees, put on an extra sweatshirt, an extra blanket, that’s going to be great. , but not dangerously cold and hopefully we can get the pipeline up to speed and get everything up and running as quickly as possible.”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you can find more information on their website.
Online, customers criticized the company for its request.
“During these temperatures? That’s crazy,” responded one Twitter user.
“Not with what I just paid on my last bill,” another user quipped.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you can find more information on their website.
Many flatly rejected the question.
“Got to 75, thanks for raising my rates!” wrote one person, referring to the Public Utilities Commission’s approval this month of a 10.9% rate increase for We Energies residential customers. The increase is expected to take effect in January.
If customers complied with the request, the We Energies website said it would “avoid a significant cut in natural gas.”
“The real problem is turning it back on. It’s not like flipping a switch; it’s not like that. You literally have to go to every home; turn on the meter, get into their house; turn the pilot light back on, check that all your appliances are natural gas are working properly and safely, and it takes some time,” Conway added.
The disclosure of the problem on Friday came a day after Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order declaring a statewide power emergency.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you can find more information on their website.
“@GovEvers has been informed by the Wisconsin Public Utilities and Emergency Management Commission regarding the situation with We Energies,” a spokesperson tweeted, “Our office will remain in close contact with local, state and federal partners as we continue to closely monitor this situation”.
