Manager Of Supply Planning And Projects
Authors: Hohne R.J. 
Published: December 2007

The Southern California Gas Company is responsible for providing gas service to 12 million southern Californians. SoCal Gas, like other major gas distribution utilities, has undergone a dramatic change during the past decade. Since the late 1960's the supply of gas nationwide has not been sufficient to meet the demand for this premium fuel. This fact has caused a redirection by many of the nation's gas companies, including SoCal Gas, to concentrate more effort in obtaining new supplies of gaseous fuels. These include natural gas from traditional sources; liquefied natural gas (LNG); and synthetic natural gas (SNG) from coal, tar sands, solid waste, liquid waste, biomass, and liquid petroleum feedstocks.

The excellent potential for nonconventional gas supplies' providing a significant amount of energy in the future has opened up a new frontier for engineers in the energy field. At SoCal Gas, we actively participate in or monitor other companies' efforts in participate in or monitor other companies' efforts in virtually all areas of the gaseous energy field. This activity complements the many other more traditional opportunities available for petroleum engineers interested in a utility career or a career in utility-related gas supply activities. My company currently has petroleum engineers working as gas storage reservoir engineers, engineers working on gas exploration and development programs, staff engineers working in supply planning and forecasting functions, and as transmission and distribution pipeline engineers.

Introduction

It's a pleasant change for me to be speaking with you today. Many times, in recent years, I've had to speak to groups who were not particularly friendly-about subjects that were sometimes dull and occasionally controversial. But today I'm talking to engineer about jobs in the utility business. For me, that's a pleasure because I'm a graduate engineer and have built my career in the gas utility business. I don't expect to be controversial today because the only news I'm going to give you will be good news—about interesting jobs in an interesting business.

A CHANGING INDUSTRY

As you might expect, the gas business, like other present-day industries, has undergone great changes present-day industries, has undergone great changes during its development. The company I'm associated with, Southern California Gas Company, is no exception. For example, in more than a century of operation, we've come the full circle in our search for fuel supplies. In the late 1800's we went as far as Australia to obtain coal for gas production. In the early 1900's we depended on energy from gas and oil fields that were closer to home, sometimes right in our own back yards. Now we're back on a worldwide search for future gas supplies, and one of those sources will be gas again produced from coal.

Let me give you some further insight into how the gas business has been changing. During the period before World War II, the gas distribution companies in the United States, and California in particular, relied on local production for their supply of gas, either through manufacturing from coal or oil or through development of nearby fields. That arrangement worked well until demand for natural gas began to outstrip the production of local supplies.

By the late 1940's many gas distribution companies, including Southern California Gas Company, were unable to meet the rising demand from local sources. As a consequence, they began to look farther afield for gas supplies. It was during that period that gas from large fields discovered in various regions of the U.S., particularly in the Southwest, was sold in interstate markets. For the most part, this gas was found in conjunction with oil, or as a result of exploring for oil.

Since many of those new gas sources were distant from urban markets where the gas would be sold, a transportation system had to be constructed, ushering in the development of interstate gas transmission companies. It became the purpose of these interstate transmission companies to buy the gas from the producer, transport, and resell it to individual producer, transport, and resell it to individual distribution utilities, some up to 1000 miles away. The distribution companies then sold the product to the end user.