Part 1 | Non-Pipeline Alternatives to Natural Gas Utility Infrastructure

About this Report

Prepared by Strategen Consulting Inc. for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Non-Pipeline Alternatives to Natural Gas Utility Infrastructure: An Examination of Existing Regulatory Approaches is the first of two reports that examine the existing and preliminary proceedings, rules, and studies of Non-Pipeline Alternatives (NPAs).

Utilities have deployed targeted NPAs for years by using supply-side resources, including compressed natural gas, liquified natural gas, underground storage, and propane air, to cost-effectively address capacity constraints. Recent developments in the proliferation of decarbonization policies and the emergence of cost-effective, high-efficiency electric appliances have increased NPA interest in recent years.

Primarily for public utility commissions (PUCs) considering the role of NPAs in gas utility planning, Strategen reviews NPA case studies and examples from four states, including Colorado, New York, Rhode Island, and California, to analyze underlying regulatory frameworks and policy goals. Readers of this white paper will learn about:

  • How each of the four states determine an NPA

  • Each state’s statutory or regulatory reasoning for pursuing the development of NPAs

  • The type of information and analysis that a gas utility needs to present to a PUC for approval

  • The criteria and thresholds that need to be met for a gas utility to evaluate an NPA

  • Which demand- and supply-side resources can be used as part of an NPA solution

  • How a gas utility identifies the resource or resources that make up an NPA solution

  • How a gas utility is expected to acquire the resource

  • Each state’s guidance on the preferred benefit-cost analysis test for screening the cost-effectiveness of the NPA

  • If and how states require an examination of the impacts on disadvantaged communities as part of the NPA analysis

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ReportsMissy Lee