GAS supplies could be restored to most homes by the end of Friday, Island Energy’s chief executive has said.
Jo Cox further said that commercial customers would be prioritised, while others who need to be visited by an engineer may have to wait until the end of the weekend – Jersey has been without mains gas since Saturday.
Speaking to the JEP, Mrs Cox said: “We ran the plant through throughout the night to check we were comfortable and then turned the whole network on at 1 pm today.”
She said they were due to start reconnecting supplies at 4.30pm yesterday, beginning with commercial customers.
Mrs Cox said: “We start at the end of our network and work back. I understand that most of Gorey will be on today, but our engineers will be working from now until midnight.
“We stop at midnight tonight and watch the plant to make sure it is behaving itself.”
Mrs Cox said she hoped by this evening, “most people will be able to have turned their supply back on, ready for the weekend”.
But, she added: “However, not all commercials will be reconnected by then because our commercial customers need an engineer’s visit. Those customers will take up until Sunday to restore.
“The priority for engineer visits is commercials and priority customers who have already identified themselves. They are the ones who will be restored Thursday and Friday, then we will move onto the res on Saturday and Sunday.
“All this is provided everything goes to plan.”
This comes after the energy company yesterday announced that it was testing the network by checking key supply points at Les Quennevais, Tunnell Street, Grouville, Rozel and Gorey Hill.
These took place following the successful switch-on and 24-hour monitoring of its main plant.
The statement further said that there would be two ‘phases’ of customers – those who needed to be visited by an engineer, and those who could self-restore. An estimated 3,600 are understood to be in the latter phase.
Customers should have been contacted via letter, text, or email letting them know which phase they belong to.
