PEA RIDGE, Ark. — Editor's note: The video shown is from February 17, 2021.
We received new information from Black Hills Energy and the State Utility Commission about why customers in Pea Ridge lost their gas during last week's winter storm.
About 2,300 Pea Ridge residents lost their gas and heating last week during a massive winter storm that brought historic low temperatures to northwest Arkansas.
The cold snap caused unprecedented demand in Pea Ridge. The Black Hills system in Pea Ridge did not have the capacity to handle the demand. The capacity issue caused the Black Hills system to lose pressure. At that point, gas had to be turned off to customers.
The problem only occurred in Pea Ridge and did not affect Black Hills customers in surrounding towns.
The commission says Black Hills Energy does have plans to improve the gas line infrastructure in Pea Ridge and approved construction is scheduled to start within a few weeks.