Fortis BC officials have confirmed that repairs to the Enbridge pipeline near Prince George have been completed ahead of schedule.
The pipeline was damaged in an explosion last month, affecting 1 million Fortis customers.
"Enbridge is now doing some more testing on it to see what the cause was, and make sure that the whole pipeline is safe," says Fortis BC Vice President Doug Stout. "Right now it's running at about 55 percent capacity, and they're targeting to be at 80 percent by December 1st. That's the limit that the National Energy Board has set on them for right now."
Stout says there's currently no timeline for when it'll be operating at 100 percent.
He says the Okanagan is in good shape right now as far as gas supply goes, but residents are still being asked to reduce natural gas use, at least until the end of January.
"If people can keep their thermostat at 20 or less, not run fireplaces or non-essential gas sources, and limit the use of hot water - those things all make a big difference," says Stout.
Since Fortis BC first asked customers to limit natural gas use, they've seen a reduction of approximately 20 percent.
“We’ve been fortunate so far to have been experiencing milder weather throughout the province. This has moderated the demand for natural gas,” says Fortis BC CEO Roger Dall’Antonia. “Mid-November is historically a time when we see temperatures take a downturn and gas demand increase. With the current restricted capacity of Enbridge’s transmission system, we’re concerned about our ability to meet demand through the winter if we don’t reduce our collective draw on the system.”
The Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island remain the two most affected areas due to the pipeline explosion.