Web Posted Dec 28 2000 3:44 PM EST

Natural gas shortage WINNIPEG - Sixty large industrial consumers in Manitoba have been cut off by their natural gas supplier. Centra Gas is trying to save their supply of natural gas due to a usage higher than expected this winter season.

The company says the recent cold snap has created the great demand.

The Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg is one of the companies that have been cut off. John Hargus, the director of the central energy plant at the Centre, says they have been burning oil steadily since last week to compensate.

"The Health Sciences Centre's systems are set up to operate on an alternate supply, and that costs us more money," Hargus says.

Hargus adds that the hospital has been speaking to officials at Centra Gas everyday to see when it will get its supply back. He says it looks as if the supply won't return until the second week of January.

http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/view?/news/2000/12/28/mb_001228_gas

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 29, 2000