APA Group has successfully completed its temporary solution at the Young Lithgow Pipeline at the Macquarie River.
The solution has enabled Jemena to restore gas supply to all customers in the Wallerawang, Lithgow and Oberon areas following damages due to recent floods in the area.
Subsequently, Jemena has confirmed that all residential, commercial, and industrial customers, are able to resume their normal gas usage (including their gas heating) with immediate effect.
APA Group’s acting CEO Adam Watson thanked all those involved in the response to the outage and their singular focus on restoring gas to these communities as quickly and as safely as possible.
“Our teams on the ground have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from residents and businesses,” Watson said. “APA Group and Jemena thank the community for their continued patience and support.”
During construction of both the temporary pipeline and temporary LNG solutions, APA Group and Jemena have had the support of more than 40 contractors from across Australia, including local contractors and businesses as far as Perth and Tasmania.
Jemena’s Managing Director Frank Tudor said the response would not have been possible without the goodwill and support from local communities, and the broader gas sector.
“These past few months have been very challenging for Central NSW, with the impacts of severe weather and flooding, as well as the loss of gas supply for some towns,” Tudor said.
The temporary pipeline is expected to meet all the gas supply needs of Lithgow, Oberon and Wallerawang until the permanent solution is completed. The permanent solution is expected to be complete around mid-December, subject to weather conditions.
While access to the pipeline is still restricted due to continued flooding, APA Group’s preliminary assessment suggests that the damage to the Young Lithgow Pipeline was caused by flooding.
The group doesn’t anticipate any disruption to supply once the permanent solution is complete and reconnected to replace the temporary pipeline.
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