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November Wind Storm

Letter to our customers

To our customers without power: we know you are frustrated. The limited information we have been able to provide on-line, and the fact that you do not yet see our crews working in your neighborhood, is causing you to wonder what is happening.

This system was so strong that it was comparable to a hurricane and did unprecedented damage to our high-voltage transmission system – the poles and wires that carry electricity from where it is produced to the communities we serve. Without fixing those lines first, we cannot get power back into many neighborhoods. Much of this work takes place in hard to reach, remote parts of western Washington.

We have 143 line crews working around the clock – 3.5 times what we have usually, thanks to crews from other utilities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Canada.

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Progress continues

Throughout the morning crews made steady progress restoring power to customers impacted by Tuesday’s windstorm. Notably, power has been restored to an additional 10 substations and 9 transmission line segments allowing restoration of power to many schools, critical infrastructure and medical facilities. However, we understand that for those still affected it remains incredibly challenging, especially with the cold conditions. For customers needing support, please check with your local government or call 211 to find warming shelters and other resources. King 5 also has this list of resources.

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alert 

Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.

Report and track power outages online

Natural gas storage

At PSE, we carefully manage our gas-supply portfolio to reduce financial risks and control costs. One way we do this is by buying and storing significant amounts of natural gas during the summer months, when wholesale gas prices and customer demand are low.

We store it in large underground facilities and then withdraw it in winter when customer usage is highest, ensuring that a reliable supply of gas is available when you need it most.

Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility

We co-own and operate the Pacific Northwest's largest natural gas storage depot, the Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility in Lewis County.

The 14th largest gas-storage reserve in the country, the 3,200-acre reservoir can hold about 44 billion cubic feet of natural gas. First opened in 1970, Jackson Prairie's natural gas reserves can meet up to 25 percent of the Pacific Northwest's peak demand on our coldest winter days.

PSE also stores up to 12.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas in Questar's Clay Basin underground facility in northeast Utah.

Fact sheet

Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility



NaturalGasStorage Jackson Prairie
Jackson Prairie Storage Facility

Tacoma Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility

PSE and its commercial, sister company Puget LNG, co-own an LNG facility at the Port of Tacoma. Commissioned in 2022, the facility has the ability to liquefy up to 250,000 gallons of LNG a day and store the product in an 8-million gallon LNG storage tank. This stored gas supply resource can then both serve PSE's natural gas customers and provide fuel to maritime vessels and trucks. The facility is designed to the highest safety standards, including to withstand a once-in-every-2,450-year earthquake.

LNG is the liquid form of natural gas. When cooled to -260 degrees F, natural gas is reduced to a liquid that is one six-hundredth the volume, making it easier to store and transport.

As a peak shaving facility, LNG is stored so that it can be used in times of increased demand. The Tacoma LNG facility meets peak demand and mitigates the risk of the region being served by a single transmission pipeline. When it vaporizes LNG into the gas distribution system, it has the ability to reduce costs, provide alternative supplies during emergencies, improve reliability and deliver an alternate fuel source during planned maintenance activities. The maximum capacity of the plant has the capability to supply up to 66,000 Dekatherms of gas per day, which is enough to provide the gas energy needs of 45,000 typical homes during very cold weather. This allows PSE to provide dependable and cost-effective natural gas to serve local customers on the coldest days of the year without the need to run costly new pipelines.

Additionally, the facility plays a key role in helping create a greener shipping fleet for our partner, TOTE Maritime, aligning with our Beyond Net Zero Carbon commitment as we “go beyond” addressing our own carbon emissions to help other sectors, including the transportation and maritime industries. Previously, TOTE Maritime relied on distillate petroleum fuels – such as Marine Fuel Oil and Diesel – to power its ships. When replacing diesel fuel, LNG significantly reduces the amount of criterial pollutants and harmful particulates, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps reduce emissions in over the road transportation customer fleets, including for our partner, Potelco.

Contact us:
Email: Major.Projects@pse.com

Aerial view of Tacoma LNG facility
Tacoma LNG facility