Oberon, Lithgow, Wallerawang, and Bathurst Gas Supply Outage Update

Oberon, Lithgow, Wallerawang, and Bathurst Gas Supply Outage Update

8 November, 2022

Positive progress continues to be made in response to a gas supply outage impacting customers in Oberon, Lithgow, Wallerawang, and Bathurst. As of 15:00 PM, Tuesday, 8 November:

Make-safe activities have been completed by Jemena for the towns of Lithgow, Wallerawang, and Oberon (with the exception of hard-to-access premises). This is an important safety step which will enable gas supply to be reinstated sooner, once it becomes available. 75% of customers in Bathurst have now had their gas supply reinstated. It is anticipated that all customers will have gas restored in the coming days.

At the same time Jemena and APA continue to work together to deliver temporary and permanent solutions in response to the gas supply outage. Progress includes:

APA still anticipates the temporary solution of trucking LNG in to supply the Lithgow, Wallerawang and Oberon communities could be in place this Friday 11 November, with a 42-tonne LNG storage vessel on its way to the region from Victoria and expected to arrive overnight. Once the LNG truck and connections are in place, it will allow gas supply to start be restored for some customers during the week commencing Monday, 14 November. As limited supply will be available, Jemena will prioritise reconnecting vulnerable customers and welfare support services, in consultation with the local community and Councils. APA is also making good progress on a temporary pipeline solution, with the pipeline and other materials arriving on site in Bathurst from Brisbane yesterday. This should provide enough gas to supply all customers in Oberon, Lithgow, and Wallerawang. Provided weather conditions hold, it is expected that this solution will be in place the week commencing 14 November 2022. Jemena anticipates reconnecting all customers within 5-7 days of this solution being available.

Jemena and APA are also continuing to work towards a permanent solution which is anticipated to be in place during the first week of December.

Customers with a welfare concern should contact Services New South Wales on 13 77 88. For gas emergencies please contact 131 909.

APA and Jemena thank the community for their continued patience and support during this difficult time.