Energy
Texas Deep Freeze Shutters Some Energy-Consuming Industry Sites
A refinery in Baytown, Texas, on Jan. 13. US natural gas production has plunged by about 10 billion cubic feet in recent days as frigid weather has frozen pipelines, choking off supply, even as demand for the heating fuel has surged about 18 billion cubic feet.
Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesThe winter storm sweeping the US has begun disrupting the operations of industrial oil and gas consumers on Texas’ Gulf Coast, including refiners, chemical plants and manufacturers.
With almost 10% of US natural gas production estimated to be offline due to the cold, much of the disruption is focused on gas.