Number has doubled from 15,000 in last 15 years
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
The Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) is celebrating a milestone of reaching 30,000 customers, marking a 15-year growth from 15,000 to 30,000 in its 65th anniversary of existence.
Oakland resident Ryan Rodriguez and his family received a recognition plaque and a year’s worth of natural gas service up to $1,000.
“The milestones are great, a great thing for us to celebrate,” said Brent Haywood, general manager/CEO of LANGD. “There are a lot of utilities out there that are that are smaller than the district. We’ve been fortunate to have a service territory that has been very pro natural gas. We’ve had 30,000 customers who’ve made the choice for natural gas to be their chosen energy, for cooking, for heating, for warm water.”
Haywood attributed the district’s growth to having the right product, people and timing. Natural gas has been proven to be a cost-effective and reliable energy source across the nation but especially in Florida, where 82% of electricity is generated using natural gas, he said.
The large influx of people moving from the north to Florida have been natural gas customers, in turn prompting LANGD to prepare to expand its natural gas supply to meet the growing demand in Central Florida, Haywood said.
The cities of Winter Garden, Apopka and Clermont passed their ordinances on LANGD’s energy choice initiative, which gives customers in those municipalities the option to decide which energy source is the best for their budget and lifestyle.
This will enable LANGD to grow its customer base at a faster rate. LANGD has been gaining around 1,000 customers a year, which could double to 2,000 a year.
LANGD has applied for and received federal grants for replacement and reinforcement of some existing systems. It is trying to land additional state grants to fund expansion of the gas utilities.
Ultimately, it begins with the district building a strategic plan to provide gas to the area, Haywood said.
“Without a good plan, you can’t assure that you’re going to have the gas available at the right time and at the right cost for people when the demand is there,” Haywood said. “We’ve been working for the past year developing a fairly robust strategic plan that includes additional pipelines in the area, in our service territory, working on bringing additional supply to the district. We are in a supply and demand competitive environment. Again, we’re competing against electric utilities for the natural gas supply.”
At the LANGD Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, the board members selected a new asset manager and gas supply contract.
The district has expanded its qualified contractor base from one to six to ensure competitive bidding and cost-effective installation. The district is also diversifying its contractors to ensure cost-effective installation.
“So as the growth comes, we’re able to make sure that we’re getting the best rates for installation for the natural gas when it comes around as well,” Haywood said. “Competing for construction services is a big thing. Competing for people, competing for resources, we’re always in a constant competition.”
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively.
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