Oneonta, New York, where the propane is now flowing. (image: Doug Kerr via flickr.com)
Today’s weekly report from the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) fills out the picture of the progress on the Teppco propane pipeline upstate. And the short of it is this: The pipeline is almost there.
Yesterday, we pointed to a local news station reporting that repairs were complete on the 165-mile pipe and were waiting final approval. Now NYSERDA adds that on Tuesday service was turned to the terminal in Oneonta. All that’s left is to get the final 65 miles or so of pipe, running from Oneonta to Selkirk, flowing again. Local dealers and customers will no doubt celebrate the occasion, which would solve some of the tricky supply disruptions this heating season. The pipeline, a critical supply artery for the Northeast, has been off-line since it sprung a leak five months ago today.
Elsewhere, NYSERDA also posted the latest propane prices around New York. The average retail price for a gallon of the gas nudged almost 2 cents higher last week, for an increase of 0.5-percent. Prices are now 7-percent higher than last year’s marks at this time — slightly more than the national average of 5-percent. But propane is still cheaper than fuels like heating oil and kerosene.
Residential propane prices have been known to settle down in the latter weeks of the heating season, and getting the pipeline back will surely help. What isn’t helping the situation in New York? Getting hit by another snowstorm last night.