Enbridge: Mild 2024–25 winter, strong storage but peak days still strain system

SALT LAKE CITY — Enbridge Gas Utah reported that it entered the 2024–25 heating season with storage near full capacity, experienced a milder-than-normal winter overall, but still saw several high single‑day demand spikes that stressed pipeline capacity.

Steve Wall, Enbridge Gas Utah, summarized the company’s heating‑season data, saying, “we entered the heating season in a strong storage position,” and noting the system-wide storage picture for the Lower 48 was “basically full” going into the season. Wall also reported that October–March heating‑degree‑day totals were 4,058 compared with a normal 4,632 — “a decrease of 12, almost 12 and a half percent.”

The nut graf: The contrast between generally mild weather and repeated high send‑out days is central to company planning: lower seasonal demand can mask the risk that short sharp cold spells still produce historic one‑day and multi‑day peaks, requiring pipeline capacity and operational responses.

Wall described demand and storage trends in detail: total sales demand for the heating season came in roughly 9% below the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) expectation, but five of Enbridge’s 25 highest historical send‑out days occurred during the 2024–25 season. He and other presenters showed that Mountain West Pipeline and other regional operators recorded record or near‑record peak flows over the last two winters, indicating that single‑day events — not average seasonal cold — are driving peak capacity needs.

Company slides shown at the conference compared the 2024 market (blue lines on the charts) with the prior year and five‑year bands. Wall said those visuals show the system “was ready to go and ready to rock and roll for winter” and reiterated that while the season overall was mild, the timing of several cold weekends produced the spikes seen in send‑outs.

Enbridge’s data included aquifer (Clay Basin) operations and injections/withdrawals. Wall described using aquifer withdrawals during the Martin Luther King and Presidents Day cold weekends to meet demand and manage costs. He noted Clay Basin and other storage were “in a good spot” going into the injection season and that Clay Basin inventory ended the heating season slightly above the five‑year average but about 2 VCF lower than the same point last year.

Questions from commission participants focused on peak planning and whether pipeline capacity was sufficient. Wall and other Enbridge staff said growth — more customers and added power‑plant demand — plus coal‑to‑gas switching in parts of the West are increasing peak flows even as average seasonal weather moderates. They said the response is planning for additional capacity where needed and using storage strategically to minimize price exposure.

Ending: Enbridge left the commission with three main takeaways: it entered the season with strong storage, the 2024–25 winter was milder than normal, and despite that it produced several high‑demand days that emphasize the need to plan for one‑to‑multi‑day peaks rather than only seasonal averages.