SEATTLE — Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is asking customers to conserve natural gas and electricity use through Saturday night following continued frigid temperatures and an outage at a natural gas storage facility in Lewis County.
PSE said in a social media post that due to the extreme cold temperatures in western Washington, regional utilities are "experiencing higher energy use than forecasted, and we need to reduce strain on the grid."
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, there was an outage at the Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage facility in Chehalis, according to Andrew Padula, a media engagement consultant for PSE. The facility was restored by Saturday evening.
PSE did not provide further information about what caused the Jackson Prairie outage.
PSE co-owns Jackson Prairie, which is the largest natural gas storage depot in the Pacific Northwest and 14th-largest in the country, according to its website. The reserve can hold 44 billion cubic feet of natural gas and "can meet up to 25 percent of the Pacific Northwest's peak demand on our coldest winter days," its website states.
Puget Sound Energy is asking customers to conserve natural gas and electricity use through the evening hours. Due to the extreme cold temperatures facing our area, regional utilities are experiencing higher energy use than forecasted, and we need to reduce strain on the grid.
Customers are urged to turn their thermostats to a lower setting and reduce their use of hot water for tasks such as dishwashing or washing clothes, dryers and other appliances.
The utility also offered tips for keeping heat inside the home by covering windows with drapes or blinds, putting rolled up towels under doors where cool air is flowing in, and ensuring that there is nothing blocking your heating system.
Western Washington is facing record-cold temperatures in some parts, with many cities seeing temperatures in the low 20s and teens.
According to the National Weather Service Seattle, the forecast low of 14 degrees for Sunday morning would be the coldest temperature in Seattle since Nov. 14, 2010.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.