MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — New England's love affair with natural gas appears to be showing strain as the regional power grid operator voices worry about too much demand on limited supplies and a leading environmental group criticizes the fuel it once supported.
The changing mood follows more than a decade of explosive growth in the use of natural gas to heat and especially to power the six-state region's homes and businesses. Natural gas industry leaders say they are poised for continued rapid growth despite the warning bells being rung in other quarters.
In 2000, about 15 percent of New England's electricity was produced at generating stations that burned natural gas; in 2012, that number had grown to 52 percent, according to ISO-New England, the independent system operator that manages the regional power grid.
ISO-New England spokeswoman Marcia Blomberg said this past week that the organization is in the midst of a major study to determine if the region's power grid has become too reliant on natural gas and, if so, what might be done to address the issue.