Technicians began restoring service to homes in Nimy on Sunday afternoon, a meticulous process expected to continue late into the night and into Monday. The effort comes after widespread outages impacted the region, prompting officials to urge residents to conserve energy.
The mayor stated that each inspection takes, on average, “7 to 8 minutes per home if everything goes well.” Crews have already detected minor leaks in a handful of private installations during the initial checks, “which confirms the indispensable nature of these individualized controls to guarantee collective safety.”
The “Mons-Nord” area, encompassing the northern part of the city center between Saint-Joseph, the Grand-Place and the train station, is expected to be addressed late Sunday evening. Door-to-door inspections could begin later in the night, depending on accessibility. Teams will continue working in this zone Monday morning before moving to Mons-Sud in the afternoon.
Approximately 100 technicians from ORES, Sibelga, and RESA are working to expedite the restoration of service. Officials have asked that businesses not rely on a late Sunday inspection, as operations have already fallen behind schedule.
The city is continuing to provide support measures whereas service is restored. Space heaters are available through the municipal call center, with priority given to vulnerable populations. The Lotto Mons Expo remains open 24 hours a day, and showers are available at the Cuesmes swimming pool and a local climbing gym.
Authorities are also concerned about the strain on the electrical grid due to increased use of supplemental heating. Residents are being asked to reduce their overall consumption and temporarily suspend charging electric vehicles to avoid another outage. “The Mons electrical network is heavily stressed and there is a risk of a new outage if the situation persists. Teams are closely monitoring the situation,” said Nicolas Martin.
While progress is being made, officials say Mons residents will necessitate to remain patient as full service is restored. The situation underscores the challenges of maintaining infrastructure during periods of high demand.
