Annual summit keeps energy issues front and center in the state
HALLOWELL—The outlook for natural gas in the state—particularly in light of a new legislature and administration—was the topic of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s latest Energy Summit this past spring.
Launched in 2015, the Energy Summit has driven discussion of Maine’s energy issues for utilities and consumers alike. For panelist Lizzy Reinholt, Summit Natural Gas senior director of corporate affairs, the gathering highlighted the fact that “energy issues are front of mind in Maine.” Talking with American Gas, she added, “It’s important to have an event like this, especially one that focuses on sustainability.”
At the event, Summit Natural Gas highlighted the future of natural gas in Maine. “Increasing access to natural gas is extremely important as we work toward offering more energy choice in the state and reducing emissions,” Reinholt told us, noting that 60 percent of Maine homes are still heated with oil. “If you can convert a home from oil to natural gas, you can reduce emissions by about 27 percent. Since coming to Maine, Summit has been able to increase energy choice for customers. And by converting folks from old, oil-burning heat systems to natural gas, we’ve helped to reduce emissions by about 69,000 metric tons among residential, commercial and industrial customers.”
Other panelists discussed the challenge of capacity constraints in New England and the value of combined heat and power. “I focused on projections for the next 10 years,” Reinholt said. “As a Maine utility, we’re eager to invest in the state and in innovative technologies.”
Among those investments is a new renewable natural gas program currently being developed. “Our new RNG initiative in Maine includes building a digester and partnering with local farms to process their waste,” Reinholt explained. “Pending approval, we hope to be producing gas by the first quarter in 2021.”
Others participating in the summit included Unitil Corp. and Enbridge, along with representatives from the renewable energy, electric, engineering and legal sectors.