Energy Department commended for report highlighting role of natural gas in electricity markets

Members of the Natural Gas Council (NCG), a coalition of five associations that represent various natural gas companies in the U.S., recently commended the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its staff report on electricity markets and reliability that highlighted the importance of natural gas to the electricity market, a posting on the website of the American Gas Association, one of the NCG member groups, said.

Last year, the NCG created its own report, "Natural Gas: Reliable and Resilient," which stressed the rising relevance of natural gas.

“We commend DOE’s report for acknowledging how the affordability, cleanliness and flexibility of natural gas have made it critical to the electric grid," Dena Wiggins, president and CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association, another NCG member, said in the posting. "We have an exceptional reliability record made possible by natural gas’ physical characteristics, operational practices and the multitude of market options for serving our customers. We agree that our electric grid must rely on a diverse fuel mix that includes natural gas, nuclear energy, coal and renewables, and we firmly believe that competitive, fuel-neutral energy markets will produce the best outcomes for consumers."

In celebration of the DOE report, several other NCG members made statements on why the good word being spread about natural gas will be beneficial to the future of the country regarding its economy.

“DOE’s report is further evidence of the robust benefits of natural gas development across the nation," Barry Russell, president and CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said in the posting. "From the wellhead to the end user, increased natural gas production and use is powering our economy forward, providing royalties and revenues for local, state and federal treasuries, new jobs for America’s workforce and clean-burning, reliable fuel for electricity generation. Thanks to the innovative work of independent operators across the country – companies that produce 85 percent of U.S. natural gas – these economic and environmental benefits continue to be realized each and every day.”