Some Langley greenhouse owners are getting hammered by sharp increases in natural gas prices caused by the pipeline explosion near Prince George.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 brutal,91裸聊视频� said Lawrence Jansen, CEO of Darvonda Nurseries.
In early October, Darvonda was paying about $3.50 per gigajoule of natural gas.
But after the Oct. 9 pipeline blast, the supply to the Lower Mainland was reduced. While Fortis encouraged homeowners to take shorter showers and to turn down their thermostats, some greenhouses saw energy prices skyrocket.
Within a day, the price at the Northwest Sumas gas hub had shot up to more than $10 per gigajoule. In late November, it was above $25 on several days, and on Nov. 16 it was $86.70.
Darvonda bought gas at lower, 91裸聊视频渋nterruptible91裸聊视频� rates, which means they were vulnerable to sudden shifts in price.
That has meant some major changes for Darvonda and some other local nurseries.
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At Darvonda, a four-acre greenhouse full of cucumber plants should have been harvested for a week and a half more. But the gas price made it too unprofitable, and Jansen said they shut it down, losing about 50,000 cucumbers.
91裸聊视频淲e had to move a lot of our plants to a different facility, that has fixed [natural gas] rates,91裸聊视频� Jansen said.
Local natural gas, 91裸聊视频渄ownstream91裸聊视频� of the pipeline rupture, has had to come through a 30 inch, older pipeline instead of a 36 inch pipeline, said David Grewal of Absolute Energy.
91裸聊视频淭hat has constrained supply significantly,91裸聊视频� he said.
The huge price spike on Nov. 16 was caused by maintenance on the pipeline.
It91裸聊视频檚 simply a bottleneck in supply, said Grewal.
Darvonda has also reduced heat in the greenhouse where its poinsettia plants are waiting to be shipped out to stores, and at its annual GLOW seasonal light show.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e amazed at how fragile the whole system is,91裸聊视频� said Jansen.
Even greenhouses that don91裸聊视频檛 rely on natural gas for heating are feeling the impacts second-hand.
91裸聊视频淭he month of November has been mild enough that our biomass boilers have been enough,91裸聊视频� said Leo Benne of Bevo Farms.
Bevo supplies new seedling plants for many other greenhouses, and Benne said their clients are seeing shortened growing periods, or considering starting crops later.
That could affect Bevo 91裸聊视频� some clients are looking into when they91裸聊视频檒l order their plants in the new year.
91裸聊视频淪o far, we91裸聊视频檙e making it work,91裸聊视频� said Benne.
Meanwhile, Darvonda is still growing tomatoes and planning for next year. It91裸聊视频檚 tempting to switch to buying gas at locked-in prices, but buyers can91裸聊视频檛 switch immediately, Jansen said.
For now, they91裸聊视频檙e using as little natural gas as possible.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e probably using less than half what we would normally use,91裸聊视频� he said.
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