Natural Gas Storage

California Energy Hub

California Energy Hub® offers several services for Southern California's natural gas market. These include traditional hub services such as natural gas parking and loaning, natural gas storage, and natural gas sales from CPUC-authorized projects.

Natural Gas Storage

The use of the storage capacity is governed by the G-TBS tariff, and the Transaction Based Storage Service Agreement, which is Schedule I of the Master Services Contract (MSC). The reservation charge, or price, for this service is established between the customer and the Utility on a transactional basis dependent upon market conditions and the specific storage service to be provided to the customer. 

Park and Loan

Effective July 2008, SoCalGas established the new G-PAL tariff. This tariff offers, when available, interruptible natural gas parking and loaning services to any qualified creditworthy party.

Natural gas parking is the temporary storage of natural gas on the SoCalGas system, and natural gas loaning is the temporary lending of natural gas from the SoCalGas system.

Rates for this service are negotiated on an individual transaction basis based on current market conditions. The negotiated rate includes the transmission of natural gas between the city gate and the storage fields. Prerequisites for this service are an executed MSC and an MSC Schedule O.

As required by D.07-12-019, SoCalGas will post on a weekly basis at its Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB): net hub position, net volumes parked and loaned, withdrawal schedules for all hub volumes parked and repayment schedules for all hub volumes loaned.

• G-PAL Tariff (PDF)
• Operations Park and Loan Services Agreement (PDF)
• Operational Hub Positions (PDF)
• Interruptible Storage Injection and Withdrawal Auction -- Storage holders may improve the flow of their interruptible storage injection and withdrawal rights by participating in a web-based auction to bid up the priority of their interruptible rights. These auctions are conducted on a regular basis to establish the priority of interruptible rights for the Next Day strip as defined on ICE.

Natural Gas Sales from CPUC-Authorized Projects

California Energy Hub conducts natural gas sales from a decommissioned natural gas storage field pursuant to CPUC Decision No. 01-06-081 dated June 28, 2001.

SoCalGas has received CPUC authorization to engage in exploration and production activities for natural gas at its storage properties. Proceeds from the sale of natural gas into the California marketplace will be shared with ratepayers and will contribute to further exploration activities at the properties.

California Energy Hub Informational Postings

As required by D.07-12-019, SoCalGas will post all storage transactions on its EBB within one business day of execution.

• Primary Storage Transactions
• Secondary Storage Transactions
• Interruptible Queue (ITQ)