The bitter cold weather that enveloped much of Texas last week not only affected the southwestern U.S. but also forced San Diego Gas & Electric to rein in its natural gas use. SDG&E’s largest gas users were impacted, with supplies curtailed to 88 power plants and large commercial and industrial facilities. The curtailment lasted from 3 p.m. on Feb. 3 to noon Feb. 4. “Physically, we couldn’t bring in gas due to problems with the system,” SDG&E spokesperson Art Larson explained. SDG&E temporarily was forced to curtail gas supplies to large users when weather in Texas and the Rocky Mountain area led to the shut down of natural gas fields and processing plants. Supplies later were bolstered by SoCal Gas, which like SDG&E, is owned by Sempra Energy. “SoCal Gas has some significant storage facilities in Valencia and Otay Mesa; they were able to send some gas this way,” Larson revealed. Also playing a part in the solution were slightly warmer temperatures and lower demand last weekend in San Diego. During the shortage, the utility sent out a plea to its customers to conserve gas. But, the supply cutback lasted less than a day-and-a-half instead of from Feb. 3 through the weekend as predicted. It had been 10 years since SDG&E had to ramp down its customers’ natural gas supply. “It was in the spring of 2001, during the energy crisis,” Larson said. But it had been 20 years since a shutoff was due to supply problems.