By NICOLE VALICEK
A $2.2 MILLION project to upgrade Williamstown’s last 10 kilometres of low-pressure underground natural gas mains that will improve the supply reliability for residents and businesses is complete.
Starting in 2011, SP AusNet’s project involved replacing all aged low-pressure gas mains with high-pressure polyethylene mains servicing approximately 846 properties throughout the suburb.
SP AusNet Manager Gas Networks, Elias Raffoul, said the company is upgrading Williamstown’s gas network as part of its multi-million dollar program to replace low-pressure gas mains throughout its network by 2025.
“Since inheriting the gas network, SP AusNet has spent tens of millions upgrading to high-pressure mains for customers in our gas network throughout central and western Victoria,” Mr Raffoul said.
“High-pressure mains improve the safety and supply reliability of gas delivery to our customers.
“We’d like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we completed the transition of Williamstown to a high-pressure gas network,” he said.
In the last 12 months, SP AusNet replaced 126 kilometres of low-pressure mains with high-pressure mains, commissioned 147 kilometres of new gas mains and connected 13,825 new customers.
“This replacement program and other initiatives have helped to reduce the minutes off supply for our gas customers by 16.5 per cent, down from 1.06 to 0.91 minutes,” Mr Raffoul said.
SP AusNet encouraged anyone planning any excavation is to contact Dial Before You Dig to source the location of underground infrastructure – pipes, cables – along with advice on how to work safely in the vicinity those assets.
Dial Before You Dig enquiries can be lodged online at www.1100.com.au, by using its iPhone app or by ringing the national call centre on 1100 during business hours.
