Rusty Harris, Senior Vice President, Gas, Storage and Distribution Operations – Enbridge Gas

Invest: spoke with Rusty Harris, senior vice president, gas, storage and distribution operations of Enbridge Gas, about North Carolina’s growing energy needs, the role of natural gas in reliability and affordability, and the infrastructure investments needed to support continued economic expansion. The conversation also covered workforce development, community partnerships, and Enbridge Gas’ focus on helping North Carolina remain a leading state for business. “Natural gas is the fuel that’s viewed as the most reliable,” Harris said.

What changes over the past year have impacted Enbridge Gas North Carolina?

For us, it has been the acceleration of things in the market. We are in the energy business, and there are a lot of forces now driving up the need for energy infrastructure. There has definitely been acceleration in the past year or so, and our challenge is to make sure we are keeping up with that pace of need for additional energy resources.

How would you describe the current energy landscape in North Carolina, and what trends are having the biggest influence?

We have a confluence of several factors. North Carolina is consistently among the top states for business in the country, and that is driving population growth and attracting more businesses to the state. When people move here and businesses come here, they need energy, and that drives a great deal of our work.

If you layer on top of that the acceleration I mentioned, data centers certainly play a role, but they are not the only factor. Broader drivers are increasing the need for energy. We have a state that is already a hotbed for economic growth, and those additional factors are pushing energy demand even higher. We certainly see that as an energy provider.

How do you anticipate energy demand changing over the next decade?

We certainly see it continuing to increase in a state like North Carolina because of these factors. Population growth is one of the biggest drivers in our business because most of the customers we serve are residential and commercial customers. When population grows, it drives housing and commercial development.

North Carolina is one of the highest-growth areas within Enbridge, and we think that will continue, especially in the Triangle, which is our biggest market in North Carolina and also the fastest growing. When we look ahead, we see that trend continuing.

What investments is Enbridge making to ensure a resilient and dependable system?

A lot of people take reliability for granted until they experience a situation where it is not there. In our business, the reliability of the natural gas system is one of its greatest attributes. Natural gas is the fuel that’s viewed as the most reliable. It serves homes and businesses directly and supports electricity generation, making reliability extremely important to us.

We continue investing to maintain that reliability. In the Triangle, we have a liquefied natural gas plant, Moriah Energy Center, under construction north of Durham. We fill a large storage tank during the summer, when demand is lower, so that gas is available during the coldest winter days. That will be an important asset in maintaining reliable service across the Triangle.

We are also investing in the T15 Reliability Project to increase the amount of natural gas we can bring into the Triangle. North Carolina does not produce natural gas, so it must be transported from producing regions such as Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Texas. As the state grows, our pipeline system must have the capacity to meet that demand. These projects will help keep the system reliable for many years to come.

How do you balance the need to expand infrastructure while keeping costs affordable for customers?

We realize how important affordability is to consumers. They want reliable energy, but they also want it to be affordable. The good news is that natural gas is the most affordable form of energy, and our system provides people with access to that energy.

We also believe the best way to balance investment and affordability is to plan well ahead. By making investments gradually instead of waiting until infrastructure falls behind, we can avoid putting unnecessary pressure on customer rates. That is why we are already planning future projects while completing today’s investments. We always want to be mindful of affordability, and we see natural gas as part of the solution.

How is Enbridge attracting and developing skilled talent to support long-term growth plans?

North Carolina is a competitive workforce market because of its strong economy. We believe Enbridge Gas is a desirable place to work because we are a company built on values, integrity, and culture. We have little turnover because people enjoy working here, and we work hard to maintain that environment while offering competitive compensation.

We are in good shape attracting the workforce we need, although some highly skilled positions, such as welders, can be more difficult to fill. We also invest heavily in training people after they join the company, which helps us build our own skilled workforce for the future.

How does community engagement factor into your broader mission?

Community engagement is especially important to us. As a utility, we grow if the communities we serve grow, so we have a vested interest in helping them succeed.

We partner with economic development organizations across North Carolina, as well as agencies focused on education, health, and the environment. We value those partnerships because they strengthen the communities we serve, and that ultimately benefits everyone.

What are your key goals and priorities for the next two to three years?

One of my goals is to complete the major projects we have underway and bring them into service so they can support customers across North Carolina.

Another goal is to help North Carolina continue to be a top state for business by providing access to affordable and reliable energy to businesses and people who are moving to the state or considering locating here.

Finally, we want to continue being a strong partner in the communities we serve and help those communities succeed. If we look back in two or three years and those things have happened, I think we will have been pretty successful.