Minnesota Propane Supplies Should be Adequate this Winter

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota propane supplies are expected to be adequate this winter, easing any concerns about a repeat of the shortages that hit much of the Midwest in 2013-14.

The Energy Information Administration said Monday that U.S. propane inventories are at an all-time high.

EIA analyst Stacy MacIntyre says Midwestern propane inventories are actually about the same as they were before the winter of 2013-14, when high agricultural demand, transport bottlenecks and an extremely cold winter tightened supplies and sent prices soaring.

But MacIntyre says they don't anticipate all three things happening at once this winter.

Good growing conditions mean corn and soybean farmers aren't expected to need as much propane to dry their crops this fall, and forecasters say the return of El Nino could mean a mild winter for Minnesota.