Williams Cos. Inc. (WMB)

[dockzef]

Finally, in a bit of natural gas news, this fall could see an uptick in natural gas consumption as several nuclear power plants go offline for refueling. The EIA projects that 9 percent of the U.S.’ nuclear power capacity is currently offline, a number that could grow this fall. Between September and December, around 30 reactors could undergo refueling maintenance, which could lead to more natural gas consumption as natural gas-fired power plants pick up the slack. U.S. natural gas consumption could grow by 1.9 billion cubic feet per day in the third and fourth quarters (natural gas consumption averaged 28 bcf/d in early September, before the nuclear refueling began in earnest).