Today our natural gas system is a powerhouse
Comfort Zone newsletter, Oregon, November 2022, p. 2
Renewable natural gas for the pipeline
NW Natural procures natural gas from Canada and the Rocky Mountain region, two of the most stringently regulated production areas in North America.1Canada’s Oil & Natural Gas Producers, Environmental Action & Conservation; BC Oil & Gas Commission, Methane Reduction; Colorado Oil & Gas Association factsheets We deliver that natural gas to customers using our local distribution system—one of the most modern in the U.S. Now we’re using our modern system to deliver renewable natural gas to customers.
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is not a fossil fuel and does not add more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It’s made by converting gases from organic waste streams into carbon-neutral fuel.2Renewable Sources of Natural Gas: Supply and Emissions Reduction Assessment. An American Gas Foundation report prepared by ICF, 2019, pgs. 44-49
In just the first two months of purchasing RNG for customers in 2021, it represented 0.21% of our Oregon sales load delivered to customers. Today, we have agreements with options to purchase or develop RNG totaling 3% of our annual sales volume in Oregon. For context on this rapid progress, the U.S. is at about 12% for wind and solar energy used for electric generation3U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Explained—after more than two decades of active development and public policy support.
- Delivers 50% more energy than any other utility in Oregon4Oregon Public Utility Commission, 2020 Oregon Utility Statistics Book, pgs. 9, 54
- Meets 74% of home heating needs in the area we serve5Space heating is a significant portion of the total annual energy use of residences and buildings in the Pacific Northwest and represents a large majority of the region’s energy consumption during winter peak usage periods. Nearly 74% of residential square footage located on or near NW Natural’s pipeline infrastructure has natural gas service. Approximately 90% of our residential customers use natural gas as their home’s primary space heating fuel, while two-thirds of our residential customers use natural gas for both space and water heating. Northwest Power and Conservation Council presentation on the efforts underway at NW Natural to pursue Low Carbon Pathways, including Renewable Natural Gas, Aug. 8, 2017
- Meets 90% of energy needs for our residential space and water heat customers on the coldest winter days6NW Natural resource planning calculations, based on winter peak hour energy usage as forecast in NW Natural’s 2016 Integrated Resource Plan for an average Portland residence. During that coldest winter day, space and water heating combined require 91% of all energy in use with lighting, appliances and electronics at just 9%. Energy consumption was estimated using data from Pacific Northwest homes in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
6% of Oregon’s emissions
The natural gas our residential and commercial customers use accounts for around 6% of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions7NW Natural sales load data from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality In-Boundary Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 2019 data
Visit nwnatural.com/ESGreport for more facts and resources from our 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.