Gas Storage Operations

Natural gas storage is used to provide additional supplies of natural gas to serve residential, commercial, industrial, and power generators based on demand. In 2005, according to industry data, there were more than 100 natural gas storage operators in the United States and 410 active storage facilities.

Natural gas storage facilities are linked to interstate and intrastate pipeline transmission and local gas pipeline distribution systems and are generally located near market areas, so that gas can be dispatched quickly to reach consumers when they need it to meet demand.

Pipeline companies, such as El Paso Natural Gas, own the majority of the working gas capacity in the U.S., and El Paso is a major operator of natural gas storage in the country. The oldest of the company’s facilities date to the 1940s.

Watch our informational video about Arizona’s natural gas storage needs and El Paso’s industry experience. (The video, produced initially in mid-2006, is in process of being updated.)

Safety

Salt caverns are extremely safe methods of containing natural gas below ground. Salt formations are excellent locations for natural gas storage because, once formed, the formations allow no gas to escape unless it is specifically extracted. Also, salt cavern walls are extremely strong, which makes them able to resist degradation during the life of the facility. And, due to the nature of salt deposits, the gas cannot migrate out of the cavern due to impenetrable nature of the salt itself.