Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility is a natural gas storage facility in Southwest Washington. The site is owned by Puget Sound Energy, Avista and Williams Companies's Northwest Pipeline GP. [1] [2] With 25 billion cubic feet working capacity (47 billion cubic feet total capacity), it is the largest natural gas-storage reservoir in the Pacific Northwest and the 14th largest in the United States. [3] [4]
Located in the community of Mary's Corner, Washington, [5] the gas storage is in an aquifer contained by the sandstone Skookumchuck formation, about 1,000 to 3,000 feet underground. [6] [7] [8] : Slide 4
The site was first explored for gas production in 1958 with an 8,000-foot (2,400 m) deep well. The well turned out to be a dry hole and repurposed for gas storage. In 1964 the first gas was injected. [8] : Slide 2 Gas began escaping in early 1965 after the drilling of a new bore hole, requiring the installation of specialized fittings to shut off the leak. Despite a minor evacuation, a no fire order, and law enforcement patrols, no explosion or injuries occurred. [5]
The stored gas comes from fields located in Canada and the Rocky Mountains. By 2001, the facility provided 40% of the gas during peak winter heat demand for PSE customers. [9] As of 2016, there were a total of 104 wells, 55 being used for gas injection or extraction. [8] : Slide 4