Excavation has revealed a short split was the source of a leak in the Maui pipeline which has left thousands without natural gas.
Maui pipeline incident spokeswoman Sandy Hodge says the short split next to a curve on the Maui pipeline, in the White Cliffs area of New Plymouth, was the source of the gas escape which has seen thousands of commercial and industrial gas users from New Plymouth to Northland and in Bay of Plenty ordered to curtail gas consumption.
"The damaged area of pipe will need to be cut out and replaced," he says.
Welders are on standby, ready to be mobilised.
Wet weather is forecast which could slow progress.
"All of our efforts at this stage are focused on restoring service," Mr Hodge says.
"An assessment is also being undertaken to determine measures to ensure the long term protection of the pipe."
Gas users north of Taranaki won't know until Thursday at the earliest how long they can expect to be without gas.
Simon Mackenzie, chief executive of pipeline operator Vector, had hoped to confirm by Wednesday afternoon how long the repair job would be, but that won't now happen until at least Thursday while excavation of the pipeline continued.
"It's a very delicate process because we do not want to compound any of the issues on the pipeline through excavating too quickly," he said.
The excavation should be complete by early Thursday barring any issues with the ground, and the crew would then decide which repair option to go with.
About 2300 commercial customers have been ordered to stop using gas following the leak.
Another 200 essential users who had earlier been asked to stop using gas were told early on Wednesday they could resume use, though they have been asked to use as little gas as possible.
They include hospitals, dairy factories and some other food producers, though the latter are unlikely to be at full capacity until Thursday, Agriculture Minister David Carter said.
Residential users are also allowed to use gas but have also been asked to be frugal.
NZN