Norwich — Norwich Public Utilities will continue its natural gas expansion program targeting nearly 150 homes and businesses in the Occum section of the city.

NPU will be extending its natural gas main along Route 97-Taftville-Occum Road beginning in the spring of 2016. If there is sufficient interest in the adjacent neighborhoods along Route 97, NPU will extend lines to those homes as well.

The project is being scheduled to precede plans by the state Department of Transportation to repave Route 97 next year.

New natural gas customers in Occum will have to sign an agreement with NPU before Feb. 1, 2016. This schedule will allow for adequate coordination between construction and paving crews, NPU officials said.

NPU will reach out to residential and commercial customers with direct mail and through community meetings to be held in November, December and January to explain the process of converting to natural gas, construction schedules, incentive and rebates and financing options.

“Active communication with our customers has been a critical component of our success over the past several years,” said Jeff Brining, division manager for NPU. “By talking to our customers about the value and benefit of converting to natural gas, we’ve added more than 1,700 new commercial and residential customers over the past five years.”

NPU continues to work with local lenders and contractors who are qualified to facilitate the Smart-E Loan offered through Energize CT, an initiative of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, and local electric and gas utilities.

The Occum expansion is part of a citywide expansion funded by a $9.5 million bond referendum which was overwhelmingly approved by the voters in Norwich last year.

Bond funds are repaid through the revenue generated by new natural gas customers, with no impact on existing NPU customers.

NPU’s natural gas expansion efforts have generated more than $2.5 million in new revenue for the utility, which returns 10 percent of its revenue from gas, water, and electric services to the city each year, NPU officials said.