Electric and gas utilities have begun notifying residential customers with unpaid and/or past-due balances that if they do not take action and contact their utility to enroll in a payment plan, they are at risk of having their gas services terminated on Thursday, May 2, 2024. If your household has received a notification from your utility company, please contact them directly to set up a payment plan to keep your services on. These plans charge no interest, and all customers qualify at least once for one or more of these plans. After engaging with utility providers, customers may also contact PURA’s customer affairs unit for specific questions regarding payment arrangements. View eligibility, utility contact information

What Are the Segments of the Natural Gas Industry?

The natural gas industry is divided into three major segments:

  • Production
  • Transmission
  • Distribution

diagram of natural gas industry

The production segment searches for, locates and drills natural gas (sometime in association with oil).  It purifies the gas and collects it through gathering lines which come together to deliver the gas to the next segment – transmission.

The transmission segment transports large quantities of gas to the areas where the gas is consumed.  Transmission may also include storage facilities. 

Gas is then delivered to the distribution segment where gas is delivered from the interstate pipelines to individual customers.  Distribution companies may also have storage and/or peak shaving facilities.

production to distribution

Production Gathering Transmission Distribution
Economic and Siting Regulation
Unregulated or State regulation Unregulated or State regulation Federal Energy Regulatory Agency (FERC) State regulation
Safety Regulation
Unregulated or State regulation Unregulated, State or federal regulation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Office of Pipeline Safety State regulation

 


Content last updated March 2024