SaskEnergy expects the inspection of gas lines will take until fall. (CBC)

SaskEnergy is spending $6.5 million to inspect and replace gas lines in the province, the provincial utility says.

Half of that expenditure will target homes in Regina, where several explosions earlier this year were caused by leaking pipelines.

The problem isn't the age of the pipes, but the ground itself, utility spokesman Dave Burdeniuk said.

"When you have a lot of ground shifting and a lot of moisture," he said, "that can start to literally grab on to a pipe and start shaking and pulling away at it. And that type of movement is the cause of the problems that we faced earlier this spring."

Burdeniuk said the provincial utility has been inspecting "the connections where the service lines from the home meet the gas pipeline … [to] see what condition they're in and how much the ground shifting has affected them."

About 4,500 homes have been inspected in south Regina, resulting in the replacement of about 400 gas lines to date, Burdeniuk said.

The inspections are expected to continue into the fall.