NGC Holdings today said that gas was now flowing again into Hawkes Bay through the recommissioned gas transmission pipeline over the Pohangina River near Ashurst in the Manawatu. Gas flows and pressures throughout the Hawke's Bay system were being constantly monitored, as was the level of the Pohangina River.

NGC said good weather and river conditions during the weekend had enabled it to finish inspecting the damaged section of the pipeline and declare it safe to recommission at about half of its normal working pressure. This should maintain sufficient gas supplies to meet the normal February demand from all Hawkes Bay customers.

However, NGC warned that it considered the line to still be at risk until the temporary aerial river crossing, to replace the recommissioned damaged section had been completed, hopefully by this coming weekend.

Large Hawkes Bay gas consumers had to cut their gas usage from last Monday because of that Sunday night's washout of the Pohangina road bridge, which left the gas pipe in a precarious position over the river. One of the region's biggest employers, Heinz Wattie had to shut its two boiler plants and said the loss of gas supply was endangering the work of many of its 1000 Hawkes Bay staff.

Meanwhile, lines company Powerco has restored electricity supply to all but about 500 consumers in the central and lower North Island.

Powerco network assets manager Richard Krogh said line crews had now restored electricity supply to over 11,000 consumers on Powerco's networks, following last week's severe storms which buffeted the central and lower North Island and the weekend's gale-force winds.

Krogh added that Powerco had been working with diary giant Fonterra and local civil defence authorities for generators to be airlifted to isolated communities and farmers needing to milk cows.