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Gas supply should be restored to most homes by the end of tomorrow – and islanders are likely to experience a smell of gas for up to 10 minutes, according to Island Energy's CEO. Here's what we know so far about the big switch-on...
Speaking to Express this afternoon, Jo Cox confirmed:
The network was turned on at 13:00 and customers started being reconnected from 16:30 today.
"Key supply points" at Les Quennevais, Tunnell Street, Grouville, Rozel and Gorey Hill were checked by engineers this afternoon.
Commercial customers and other "priority" customers will be prioritised, while others who need to be visited by an engineer may have to wait until the end of Sunday.
Mrs Cox explained that there was a "strict three-phase process" to return gas supply.
"The first phase was purging the network to make sure there is no air in the pipes and your gas-to-air percentage is correct," she explained.
These purges took place following a successful switch-on and 24-hour monitoring of its main plant.
She continued: "The entire network was turned on at 13:00 today and at around 16:30 we will start to connect customers, which will be a commercial customer. We have two pressures in the network, medium and low, depending on where you are. The medium pressures are going on first."
"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 work from now until midnight, turning on as many medium-pressure customers as they can. They have to have an engineer visit. We call them and we say we're on our way, and I believe the Gorey customers have been told."
Ms Cox said that work would "stop at midnight tonight" and that Island Energy would then "watch the plant to make sure it is behaving itself".
"If we're happy that the plant is working as it should in the morning, we will continue with the rollout of medium pressure customers," she said.
"We will bring on our first big low-pressure customer onto the network, which will be an important point because that will provide an indication of whether we can allow our domestic customers to 'self-restore' by pulling the lever by their meter. We will send communications about that tomorrow."
Island Energy's statement on social media yesterday said that customers would be dealt with in two 'phases' – 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, while around 1,000 customers, including 400 commercial customers, will need a visit.
Pictured: Jo Cox is CEO of Island Energy.
Customers should have been contacted via letter, text, or email letting them know which phase they belong to.
Mrs Cox explained: "Dependent on how the network is behaving, we will bring on lots more commercials. We are targeting a lunchtime turn-on tomorrow for the majority of our customers.
"Those customers that can self-restore, turning that lever from horizontal to vertical, can then do that. But if they're really unsure if they can self-restore, they can call us and we will tell them."
She said the company was asking customers to fill in an online form for non-urgent matters such as rearranging appointments instead of calling because they are "worried that we will have lots of calls coming in because there will be a smell of gas."
"When you turn your supply using the lever, for five to 10 minutes there will be the smell of gas, so we are advising people to open windows and doors for the first 10 minutes. It should dissipate quite quickly – if it doesn't, you should call our emergency line."
Ms Cox added: "We are hoping by Friday night most people will be able to have turned their supply back on, ready for the weekend.
"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."
However, she added: "All this is provided everything goes to plan."
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