Presley Tours Atmos Gas Storage Facility As Part Of Review Of Utility Infrastructure

MONROE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – Mississippi’s Public Service Commission is making sure the state’s utility infrastructure is prepared for high demand in extreme weather.

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley toured the Atmos natural gas storage facility in Monroe County.

Presley says the facility plays a critical role in the delivery of natural gas service to customers.

He says the facility, and its storage capabilities, ensure a reliable supply of natural gas throughout the service area.

“As we look at what happened in the state of Texas and as we go through what the Commission is doing with a statewide review of our infrastructure, one of the key elements that helped us dodge the bullet in the ice storm were facilities like this in Monroe County and other areas of the state, we want to look at, as we go forward, do we have enough capacity in storage,” Presley said.

“Our ability to purchase gas in the summer months, then draw down on it in the wintertime,  it’s the ultimate beneficiary for the customer, delighted to show the Commissioner and his team this asset here today,” said Bobby Morgan, vice president of Public Affairs for Atmos Energy.

During the recent ice storm, only fifty Atmos customers, out of 250,000 lost power, the longest outage was five hours.

The Monroe County facility is the site of the first natural gas well ever drilled in the state.  It was eventually depleted, but is now a large storage facility for the area. Updates were also given on continued improvements at the site.