Macon Utilities customers outraged at spike in natural gas prices from February storms
Michael Steward, 24 May 2021
MACON — A winter storm that pushed several states into crisis, pushed a Missouri county into one of their own. The February polar vortex that collapsed Texas’ power grid and water systems led to a historic increase in natural gas prices.
Macon Utilities, a Missouri company, said they were monitoring the weather, but didn’t anticipate the severity of the storm.
“We were watching the weather with the polar vortex that was happening and we had received alerts that the temperatures were going to be cold,” Stephanie Wilson, General Manager of Macon Utilities, said. “To the severity of wells freezing… because of the temperature — that was not known.”
Wilson said the company spent their annual budget in less than four days.
“Gas was in the $2 per dekatherm range from February 1 through even the 9th. On the 10th, it started going up to $6 per dekatherm and on the 11th, it went to $14 per dekatherm. Then all of a sudden, it went to $225.”
“For the storm, plus the end of February, we spent $2.1 million dollars, but that February bill should have been $300,000,” Wilson added.
Ewell Lawson, Director of Government and External Affairs for the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, said utilities do plan for events like this.
“That’s why many hometown utilities like Macon or Fulton or other cities that are citizen-led hometown utilities hedge their natural gas and electric supplies,” he said.
