Lightning can result in significant damage to our network as shown by this image captured on Jura on Saturday.
Following the disruption caused by Storm Barbara, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is now ready and prepared to deal with the impact of Storm Conor, which will bring a period of severe weather to parts of the north of Scotland today.
Since Friday 23 December, the region has experienced a period of sustained extreme weather conditions, with wind speeds of over 85mph and multiple lightning strikes recorded across the north west of Scotland, the Western Isles Orkney and Shetland. In this period, power was restored to over 30,000 customers following damage to the electricity distribution network.
SSEN remains on Yellow Alert with extreme winds, snow, hail and risk of lightning strikes set to continue throughout the course of today as the North of Scotland experiences the 'tail' of Storm Conor. The main areas forecast to be affected are North West Caithness, Orkney and Shetland with gusts of up to 90mph predicted. The weather is then expected to subside from around 6pm today with a period of calmer weather predicted for the coming days.
SSEN's overhead line network continues to stand up well to the sometimes hurricane-force winds with the majority of damage to the network resulting from direct lightning strikes. To mitigate against the impact of lightning on the network, SSEN installs protection and diverter equipment, but a direct strike to transformers and poles is difficult to prevent and has the potential to cause significant damage.
SSEN is well resourced to respond quickly to disruption to electricity supplies and has increased the levels of frontline and support staff and has moved engineers, equipment and welfare facilities to strategic areas, including the islands, in anticipation of the recent extreme weather events.
Dale Cargill, Director of Customer Operations for SSEN, said:
"We would like to thank all our customers who experienced disruption to supplies for their patience as we responded to the impact of Storm Barbara. Our network continues to stand up well to the challenging conditions and we remain prepared to respond quickly to further disruption to supplies from Storm Conor, where it is safe to do so.
"The weather conditions today are set to be extremely challenging, with snow and hail adding to lightning risk and often hurricane force winds. The safety of our customers and engineers will remain a priority. Any customers who do suffer a loss of power can contact us on the new national power cut helpline '105' where they can also advise if they require extra support from our priority service."
People can qualify for the Priority Service Register (PSR) if they:
- Are dependent on electricity for home medical care
- Have a chronic illness or short term medical condition
- Are disabled
- Have special communication needs
- Have a young baby or receive a state pension.
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.
Preparations made by SSEN include:
- 600 frontline and support staff are on hand across the Christmas period, some five times the normal number who would be available
- Around 100 mobile generation units are strategically positioned to help restore power in the event of faults to the network
- 20 welfare vans are available and ready to be deployed to affected areas, should they be required
- Outbound calls being made to over 2,000 customers on SSEN's Priority Service Register to assess needs and offer extra assistance, where required
- Given disruption to travel services, helicopters and fixed-wing planes are on standby to assist with the movement of engineers and equipment, where it is safe to do so
For more details of SSEN's preparation for Storms Barbara and Conor please see the following videos:
https://vimeo.com/196755895
https://vimeo.com/196722756
SSEN's network is resilient in these weather conditions but in anticipation of possible disruption to power supplies, it encourages customers to be prepared. This can done by:
- Saving the new emergency power cut number 105 to your phone to use if your power goes off, or if you see any damage to the electricity network.
- Downloading SSEN's Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times.
- Going to SSEN's Ready For Winter pages where there is a wealth of advice and information on how to prepare for a possible loss of power.
- Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
Members of the public should not approach fallen or damaged power lines, which may still be live.