National Grid's moratorium on new natural gas hook-ups in several Mid- and Lower Cape communities has regional planners and business organizations concerned.

BREWSTER – National Grid’s moratorium on new natural gas hook-ups in several Mid- and Lower Cape communities has regional planners and business organizations concerned.

The moratorium was prompted by an inspection of the pipeline, according to the utility’s spokesman Jake Navarro, who said the “welds” at the joints weren’t up to standard.

“Older sections of the line date back to the 1960s,” Navarro said Tuesday. “Obviously we want to grow our number of customers on the Cape. We’ll start connecting new customers as soon as we can.”

The utility has estimated work won't be complete until 2019.

“It’s never a good thing when a utility announces a hookup moratorium,” said Paul Niedzwiecki, executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, a regional planning agency. “It limits a community’s ability to grow, evolve and develop.”

Leaders of the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod were angry that the organization of 270 member companies involved in residential construction and remodeling on the Cape had not been contacted by National Grid.

“In light of the recent revelations concerning the moratorium, which will significantly affect our members, homeowners and home buyers, we are reaching out to National Grid leadership to schedule a meeting as soon as possible to review and discuss exactly what their plan is to bring gas to those towns affected within a reasonable timeframe,” wrote association president Mike Duffany in an emailed statement.

National Grid officials tried to put a positive spin on the moratorium during a briefing of area municipal officials Tuesday. Company officials said the repairs and upgrades they plan to implement will ultimately provide the region with a robust pipeline capable of serving customers for decades to come.

But first communities will feel the improvement project’s downside, with customers in Orleans, Harwich, Eastham, Brewster, Chatham and Dennis being denied any new hookups or even expansions to their existing systems to accommodate renovations or even small improvements such as generators.

Yarmouth and Barnstable are also under the moratorium, although there will be some room for discussion with the utility provider for customers in certain areas of those communities.

According to Navarro, there are 100,000 customers Capewide on natural gas.The area where the moratorium will be in effect typically averages 800 to 1,000 new hookups to the natural gas system each year, he said. “That number has stayed steady for the last five years or so.”

Brewster Building Commissioner Victor Staley said the public has already started to react.

“I received a call this morning asking ‘Why is Brewster shutting off all the gas,’” he said. “The confusion out there is people think Brewster is stopping hookups. It’s not us, it’s the utility.”

National Grid has promised to provide informational handouts for the public to all the town halls.

Brewster Town Administrator Charles Sumner said the utility company opened Tuesday's briefing with a discussion of the importance of safety and reliability.

But while it may be ultimately good for the region, it will initially hurt some small businesses, Sumner said.

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “We know men and women in this business who work on conversions and that’s a major economic engine for them.”

Wendy Northcross, executive director of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said she had wondered what was going on a few months ago when she heard National Grid was looking to disconnect systems in unoccupied buildings in the area.

“I thought at the time it was due to the increase in demand,” she said.

She said the moratorium will likely be a hit to the local economy, but Northcross is hoping businesses interested in the Cape will think long-term.

“Any time there’s a constraint in infrastructure, it will impact economic development,” Northcross said. “The long-term prognosis is we obviously need a more robust gas system. Our hope is they can look on the bright side of increasing infrastructure.”

And many people will feel the effects of the repairs. Traffic snarls will likely be frequent during work on the underground system, based on Tuesday's briefing for local officials.

“As far as roads, they need to do it at the time of year when it won’t create travel problems,” Northcross said.

Follow Christine Legere on Twitter: @chrislegereCCT