In “DISTRIGAS says its deals should prevent shortages” (Business, May 11), Distrigas implies that its new contract with National Grid indicates that we are increasingly relying on imported liquefied natural gas to serve our customers. That’s not true.
For decades we've contracted with Distrigas for LNG to refill our storage tanks to replace what we delivered the previous winter. The new contract is for the same purpose but for a longer term. Distrigas's LNG comes from far-off foreign countries. Pricing and availability depend on global energy markets and politics. We signed another contract because there's a limited role for imported LNG to offset price spikes on the coldest winter days.
LNG is no panacea for the region's energy challenges. That's why we signed on as a customer of the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline and why our local electric companies are exploring the proposed Access Northeast pipeline. Both projects will deliver cost-effective, abundant domestic natural gas to New England from a few hundred miles away, not thousands of miles.
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We believe New England's long-term energy needs can best be met with a balance of large-scale renewables, enhanced demand-reduction programs, and new natural gas pipeline capacity.