Written on: July 22, 2024
From the National Propane Gas Association Bobtail
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, Houston area residents continue to express their frustration with their local utility companies as citizens have gone multiple days without access to electricity and other necessities. As of last week, over one million homes in the region remained without power in the wake of the storm, leading Texas Governor Greg Abbott to launch an investigation of Houston’s primary utility company.
In recent years, utilities have struggled to maintain reliability in the face of natural disasters and growing demand on our nation’s electric grid. With population growth, expansion of industrial facilities, and more recently, rapid growth of data centers, utilities across the country are finding themselves struggling to match supply and demand. The Energy Information Administration has documented that average electric system outage times have roughly doubled between 2013 – 2020. Notably, the utilization of propane for residential, commercial, and industrial applications takes aggregate pressure off of the grid, and is cleaner than grid electricity in most states. As noted by PERC, for example, the carbon intensity (CI) of grid electricity in Texas is 140 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule (gCO2eq/MJ), while the CI for propane used in the state is only 78. Not only can propane be a cleaner option, but it can also help residents be energy independent during periods of grid failure.
For more information, please contact NPGA’s Manager of State Government Affairs, Austin Wicker, at awicker@npga.org.
