Up to 44,000 potential customers qualify for an Ontario subsidy program created to cover costs of natural gas service expansions, says the Canadian province’s utility regulator.

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) identified the aid candidates with a review of regional gaps in natural gas distribution networks. The inquiry generated a list of 210 eligible projects.

The Ontario government launched the program with a 2018 Access to Natural Gas Act, but would not pay the subsidy. Instead, consumers would pick up the tab.

Current customers would cover the Ontario gas service growth program’s cost by paying a government-mandated, OEB-approved C$1.00 ($0.75) surcharge on their monthly utility bills for 10 years.

The OEB estimates the gas expansion subsidy would add up to C$2.6...