Chris Shearer
Contributing Writer
OCEAN PINES- Sandpiper Energy Vice President Jim Moore was as surprised as anyone that such a big crowd came to hear him talk about conversion to natural gas in Ocean Pines.
“We did not expect this many people to show,” said Moore. “We started out with just 30 chairs in here.”
The standing room-only crowd at the Ocean Pines Community Center was eager to hear the presentation laid out about the conversion process and to find out what changes they could expect in their community, and in their properties as the project continues over the coming years.
Shane Brady, who gave the presentation on behalf of the energy company, discussed the many benefits of switching from propane to natural gas.
“It’s dependable and reliable, and there is over 100 years of supply,” Brady said. “Additionally, the infrastructure is primarily underground which means bad weather becomes a non-issue.”
Brady also pointed out that its production is mainly domestic, meaning jobs will be created and local communities positively impacted by natural gas production in the United States.
“Nearly all of the gas used in the U.S. comes from North America.,” said Brady.
Sandpiper Energy also explained its improved efficiency versus other energy sources. According to Brady, with natural gas, 90 percent of the supply reaches the end user, whereas the current electrical grid on the east coast only supplies 30 or 40 percent of the electricity generated in power plants to the end user. Once Ocean Pines is switched onto natural gas, it’s projected that CO2 emissions will be cut by 2,000 tons a year, which is the equivalent of taking 350 cars off the road.
The project got underway officially in January. Work equipment will then be shifted around the community until Ocean Pines has natural gas service community-wide. Residents receive post cards from the company about four to six weeks before work starts in the area.
“We will then go out and install valves in the system to prevent propane and natural gas mixing, and set up temporary propane tanks,” said Brady. “The temporary tanks will provide uninterrupted propane service to residents while they underground system is being switched to natural gas”.
Brady told the crowd that the tanks will appear about a week or two before the conversion, and then the gas lines are purged, which burns off the remaining propane in the underground pipes.
Lastly, Brady explained that a conversion coordinator from Sandpiper Energy will then contact residents individually and schedule the in-home portion of the conversion and go over the new operation of each gas appliance. The company also stated that appliances that can’t be converted will be replaced and that evaluation of appliances will take place during the home visits.
Sandpiper proactively examines their pipelines year-round, and Brady says The entire ocean pines area was examined this past December.
“There are between 60 and 100 miles of main line in Ocean Pines,” said Brady. “That’s we have to manage, but rest assured we can do it. We’ve done 2,500 conversions in the area in the past two years and the process is getting smoother. So it’s a good time for us to be into your development.”
There will be another public meeting with Sandpiper March 18th at Stephen Decatur Middle School for residents who have questions for the energy company about any part of the switch to natural gas. Ocean Pines property owners who don’t live in the area year-round were assured the process would be handled professionally and communication is one of the company’s biggest priorities.
“We’re going to work with you and Ocean Pines to figure out how to make this happen,” said Brady. “We’re three months into a four-year process. There will be growing pains, but we want to set up the process to communicate as much as possible.”