PG&E Calif Gas unit warns on high natgas inventory

NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) - Pacific Gas and Electric Co's (PCG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) California Gas Transmission unit on Thursday issued an operational flow order for all customers on its natural gas pipeline system due to high inventories.

The system-wide alert, issued at 5 percent tolerance, forces shippers to stay within 5 percent of their scheduled volumes in order to maintain system integrity, the company said in a website posting.

OFOs and other alerts protect the operational integrity of a pipeline by requiring shippers to take action to balance their supply with their customers' usage on a daily basis within a specified tolerance band.

Forecaster weather.com said a huge pattern change was on tap for the West late this week, after record highs early this week. A cold front and an upper trough slicing through the Northwest was seen bringing rain and mountain snow from the Northern Rockies to the plains of Montana, the forecaster said.

CGT's near 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometre) Line 300, with the capacity to transport 1.1 billion cubic feet per day of supply, carries gas from several interstate pipelines to customers in California, while its 725-mile Lines 400 and 401 deliver Canadian and Rocky Mountain gas to the state with a peak capacity of about 2 bcf per day. (Reporting by Eileen Moustakis; Editing by Marguerita Choy)