By Helena Adeloju
More homes and businesses now have access to gas with the completion of an $8 million natural gas pipeline from Pakenham South to Kooweerup.
Kayla and Nick Wylie’s new home in the Tesoro estate was the first Kooweerup residence to be connected to the pipeline in March.
“Once we heard that Kooweerup was going to get natural gas I contacted AGN to monitor the timing,” Ms Wylie said.
“It was important to Nick and me to select natural gas appliances and now we enjoy controllable cooking, an endless supply of hot water and all-of-home heating in our new home.”
The gas pipeline was built by gas distribution company, Australian Gas Networks.
AGN chief operating officer Andrew Staniford said the Wylies’ connection represented a significant milestone for Kooweerup.
“It indicates that natural gas is now available in the area, which is most timely given that winter is looming large,” he said.
Mr Staniford said the first connected business customer from the project will be the Kooweerup Secondary College when it switches from LPG to natural gas to provide instant, reliable and cost-effective heating for the school.
The project involved 14 kilometres of gas supply pipeline and was made possible by a $5.3 million funding commitment from the Victorian Government.
Over the next 20 years, more than 1300 local homeowners and businesses are expected to benefit from having natural gas connected directly to their properties.
