Thousands of residents of Central New Mexico have no gas, so they have no heat. Shelters are being set up at area high schools because tonight’s temperatures will again be sub-zero. We are not prepared for dealing with these temperatures for several days/nights in a row. At the moment we still have natural gas service at the house so the baddogs and I are okay. The same can’t be said for many other folks that live in the greater Albuquerque metro area.
What occurred? Our natural gas is piped in from Texas. Because Texas has instituted rolling blackouts, the equipment that compresses the natural gas for transmission has been shutting down when the blackout rolls through its area. Each time the blackout shuts down the equipment, a technician must return to re-pressurize the equipment. The re-pressurization takes a significant period of time and no gas is sent through the lines during the process. To reduce the use of gas, all state government offices will be closed tomorrow, no schools will be open, we’ve been asked to turn down our thermostats and to use as little hot water as possible, not to use gas stoves/ranges. This is a crisis!