Report: Natural gas prices to spike in Mass.

Bay Staters will be paying "spiking" prices for natural gas for the next four years thanks to insufficient supply, according to a new report released by the state.

"From 2015 through 2019, electric generators have insufficient supply of natural gas, which results in spiking natural gas prices," according to the forecast, prepared by Synapse Energy Economics for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs says.

Earlier this year, Nstar and National Grid filed for supply rate increases of 29 percent and 37 percent, citing increasing demand.

The rate increases will mean long, cold winters for low-income residents, said John Drew, president and chief executive of Boston-based advocacy organization ABCD.

"If this stays the way it is, more and more people who are poor are going to have a much more difficult time getting by," Drew said. "Basic commodities are increasing in price but their incomes are stagnant."

The bleak forecast drives home the need for a swifter transition away from fossil fuels, said the state energy department said.

"This study demonstrates the need to continue investing in energy efficiency and pursuing clean, base load power, like large hydro and wind, to ensure affordability and reliability for Massachusetts ratepayers," EEA spokeswoman Mary-Leah Assad said.

Between 2020 and 2030, Synapse forecasts, the burden will be eased by increasing efficiency in buildings and appliances and a surge in wind power and biomass power production.

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