Gas Diversity and Reliability
Millions of gas customers depend on the round-the-clock energy we deliver to their homes and businesses. We are implementing several measures to ensure they can continue to rely on safe, reliable and affordable service for years to come.
Performance
Unlike electric power lines, natural gas pipelines run primarily underground, which means they are less susceptible, in general, to extreme weather. That makes gas service even more reliable, as a general rule, than electric service.
Dominion Energy is making substantial investments to upgrade, replace, modernize and expand its gas distribution system. For example, from 2008 through 2021, Dominion Energy Ohio has invested more than $4 billion in infrastructure improvements.
When an emergency service need does arrive, company crews at our gas distribution companies are typically on site within roughly 30 minutes — half the time required by most state laws.
To the Rescue
In January 2022, a water main rupture directly below a natural gas mainline flooded our system in a six-block area of downtown Akron, Ohio. In some cases, the water extended all the way to homeowner appliances. More than 125 customer accounts — many of them multi-tenant — lost gas service, including a nearby Ronald McDonald House. Dominion Energy crews worked through the weekend, in almost continuous snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures, to restore service.
Investing in Gas Infrastructure
Investing in our natural gas infrastructure improves safety, enhances customer service, and reduces the environmental impact of our operations. Dominion Energy’s distribution companies have replaced or are actively replacing older pipeline mains and services with modern materials such as plastic or protected steel, which are more durable, easier to work with, and lower-emitting. In 2021 alone, our gas distribution companies invested $450 million in pipeline replacement and integrity management programs.
Renewable Natural Gas
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is pipeline-quality gas produced from existing waste streams and a variety of renewable and sustainable biomass sources, including farms, landfills, and food waste. Dominion Energy has created two of the largest RNG programs in the country, partnering with Smithfield Foods to create Align RNG, and with Vanguard Renewables and the Dairy Farmers of America.
In early 2022, Align RNG completed its first project in North Carolina, producing enough RNG from a network of 19 family farms to heat 4,500 homes. Additional projects are underway in Georgia, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and elsewhere.
Customers in Utah, Idaho, and (as of 2022) North Carolina who are interested in RNG can purchase small, affordable “blocks” of RNG through our GreenTherm program. In Utah, over 2,000 customers participated in the program in 2021, supporting over 19,000 dekatherms of RNG production and exceeding initial program projections.
