Climate Watch 02-07-26

CLIMATE WATCH — EXPANDED WITH DATA & SOURCES

Story 1 — Arctic blast sends demand soaring across Midwest, Northeast
A fast-moving Alberta Clipper has slammed the eastern U.S., bringing Arctic cold to the Marcellus and Utica shale production regions (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio), where natural gas output of ≈33 billion cubic feet/day is critical for heating and electricity. PJM Interconnection forecasts winter peak loads near 133,000 MW, close to record territory. (Industrial Info Resources)

Story 2 — ERCOT reports grid strength even in Texas freeze

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says its grid met the Arctic cold challenge across central and north Texas, with San Antonio below freezing for 47 continuous hours and Houston near freezing ~30 hours, yet no statewide outages were triggered. (San Antonio Express-News) IN another report Storry 4a- The recent snow storm that overtook Texas reportedly crashed the state’s wind and solar energy generators, leading to natural gas, coal, and nuclear providing most of the state’s electricity.

Wind, solar, and batteries fell from briefly supplying 63% of generation to 7% within roughly 48 hours, 

Story 3 — U.S. coal and gas kept lights on during Arctic storm
At a White House press conference, Energy Secretary Wright credited coal for 24 percent of U.S. power and natural gas for 43 percent during peak winter demand, while solar and wind together supplied just 14 percent — underscoring fossil fuels’ role in reliability. (AP News)

Story 4 — Cheniere files to expand massive LNG facility in Texas
Cheniere Energy has applied for federal approval to build a 24 mtpa LNG expansion at its Corpus Christi, Texas export terminal. If approved, total capacity would reach 49 mtpa, using ~3.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. (Reuters)

Story 5 — North America LNG export capacity to more than double by 2029
North American liquefied natural gas export capacity is expected to jump from ~15.4 Bcf/d today to ~28.7 Bcf/d by 2029, positioning the region at the forefront of global LNG markets. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Story 6 — Canada ramps LNG exports from Kitimat to Asia
Canada’s LNG Canada export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia has begun shipments to Asia, halving previous delivery times from ~20 days to ~10 days, boosting North American gas global reach. (IER)

Story 7 — Canada’s LNG export capacity could exceed 6 billion ft³/day by 2029
Projects in British Columbia — including LNG Canada, Woodfibre LNG, Cedar LNG, and others — could push total Canadian LNG output toward ~6.25 Bcf/d by 2029, diversifying export routes. (Canada Energy Regulator)

Story 8 — Hydropower link tests grid resilience in New England
The new Hydro-Québec transmission line linking Québec to New England entered service, but early winter storms paused hydropower flows — raising regional questions about balancing hydropower with dependable fossil generation. (Energy Future News)

Story 9 — Grid tests raise concerns over winter outage readiness
Analysts warn U.S. grid winter vulnerabilities persist: recent Arctic cold contributed to localized outages and price spikes — PJM electricity soared above $3,000/MWh at peak hours in the Mid-Atlantic and ISO-NE near $600/MWh, highlighting the need for robust dispatchable power. (naked capitalism)

Story 10 — World LNG capacity set for historic expansion by 2030
International Energy Agency data shows roughly 325 billion cubic meters/year of new global LNG export capacity could come online between 2025-2030 — the largest wave in history — affirming the growing strategic role of natural gas. (IEA)