The City of Monroe held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 28 to put a new liquefied natural gas plant officially into operation. The plant will supplement the City’s gas supply during times of peak demand when the cost of gas increases exponentially. The City of Monroe is only the second municipality in the state of North Carolina to own and operate an LNG facility.

“We sincerely value our natural gas customers and want to ensure that we can supply their energy needs as cost effectively as possible,” said David Lucore, Director of Energy Services. “This plant will allow us to introduce gas into our pipelines during peak times at a lower cost than we can purchase gas on the open market. Managing the cost of our gas supply helps us keep our rates as low as possible for our customers.”

Natural gas turns into a liquid state at a temperature less than -260° F. In its liquid state, it occupies 600 times more space than in its vapor state. Each gallon of liquid natural gas can produce 600 gallons of vapor natural gas.

The City of Monroe purchases liquid natural gas, or LNG, when prices are low and stores it at this facility to use when prices are high. During peak demand times, the LNG is warmed to return it to a vapor. The vaporized natural gas is injected into gas pipelines to offset the cost of more expensive gas purchases.

The LNG Plant took three years to construct and make operational at a cost of $7.5 million. By operating this facility, the City expects to save more than double that amount over the course of the plant’s useful life.

Council Members pictured below from left to right: Council Member Angelia James, Mayor Pro Tem Marion Holloway, Council Member Surluta Anthony, Mayor Bobby Kilgore, Council Member Freddie Gordon.