Highlights Chicago futures $1.50/MMBtu over last year Gas held bulk of Midwest thermal load during summer Denver — Strengthening of Chicago natural gas prices, particularly for winter futures, looks to incentivize gas-to-coal switching for power generation in the US Midwest this winter, a reversal from much of the summer when low prices led to gas capturing the lion’s share of thermal load in the region. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now Gas’ share of the thermal load in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool saw steep gains this summer from the prior winter as Chicago prices fell. Chicago averaged $1.97/MMBtu last winter, pushing gas’ share of the thermal load in MISO and SPP to 49.2%, according to data by S&P Global Platts Analytics. However, price declines since the start of the year, particularly those seen in March and April, led […]