Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution are working hard to restore power to properties in the north of Scotland impacted by the full force of Storm Gerrit.
Today's weather conditions are more severe than forecast. From early this morning, sustained storm-force winds moved across from Argyll and the southern Highlands before impacting the Angus and Aberdeenshire coast and inland areas across the north east.
Wind gusts, non-prevailing in nature, have approached 80mph in coastal areas with even stronger gusts on higher ground. These high winds, coupled with heavy rain and snow, has led to damage on the electricity network by fallen trees, branches, and other debris.
As of 4:30pm today, supplies have been successfully restored to almost 8,500 properties, with over 18,500 properties currently off supply, mainly from faults this afternoon.
As Storm Gerrit continues to track up the east coast of Scotland, further disruption is expected, with a Met Office yellow warning in place for Shetland until 0600 on Thursday morning.
In preparation for Storm Gerrit, SSEN enacted its well-established resilience plans, mobilising additional teams and equipment to the main areas predicted to be impacted. All available operational resources are being deployed to support with restoration efforts and helicopters are on standby to help assess the extent of damage as soon as it is safe to fly.
SSEN expects its teams to make significant progress in restoring power to customers today through automatic switching - or re-routing of the network - and network repairs. However, due to the widespread extent of the damage, ongoing adverse weather conditions, and challenges accessing faults due to fallen trees and road closures, full network restoration will take time. Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours. SSEN will be contacting vulnerable customers who could be without power for a longer period to help them make suitable alternative arrangements.
As teams of engineers continue to assess the full extent of the damage, updated times of restoration will be provided to all customers as soon as possible. This will allow those who are likely to remain off supply for a longer period to consider making alternative arrangements, where possible.
SSEN recognises the impact this may have on customers and continues to work closely with local resilience partners to coordinate welfare arrangements and identify customers who may need additional support. SSEN has proactively contacted over 50,000 customers on its Priority Services Register and is calling those in the highest categories of vulnerability to check in and offer help.
Andy Smith, Operations Director at SSEN Distribution, said:
“We’ve been preparing for Storm Gerrit for several days and our teams, bolstered by additional line crews, have been out since first thing this morning in challenging conditions to restore power to our customers.
“Our teams are making good progress, reconnecting almost 8,500 homes, but ongoing adverse weather conditions and challenges with road access, means it will take time to complete all repairs. Some customers in rural areas where there are multiple points of damage, may be without power until Friday.
“I’d like to reassure our customers we are doing everything we can to restore power as quickly as possible and are working closely with resilience partners to support welfare response. I’d also encourage anyone who may need additional support to contact our dedicated teams on the power cut helpline, 105.”
A further update will be provided at 10pm this evening.
If you see any damage to our equipment, please stay back, don’t touch it and instead report it to us directly by calling 105, or via our Power Track Website, and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.
Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:
- Saving the emergency power cut number - '105' - to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network
- Visiting the "Preparing for a power cut" section on our website, where there is a wealth of advice and information, or to chat live to one of our advisors via the Web chat service
Customers are also eligible for our Priority Services Register (PSR) if they:
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Have a disability
- Live with children under five
- Are blind or partially-sighted
- Have a chronic illness
- Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
- Are over 60.
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.
Support during a power cut
To keep updated with any power cuts across our network, we are encouraging our customers to save the emergency power cut number 105 and to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (ssencommunity) for regular updates.
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Priority Services Register
We all rely on electricity day to day for various things, but for some, a power cut can be worrying or difficult. That’s why we offer extra help and support during a power cut. Registering for our Priority Services helps us to help you when you need it most. All our priority services are free. -
Dealing with a power cut
If you are currently experiencing a power cut, we know this can be a difficult time. That's why wee've put together some helpful tips and advice to help you during a power cut. You can also download our useful resources to share with your family, friends, and neighbours. -
Additional Help During Bad Weather
We know a power cut can be difficult and the longer you’re without power, the harder it gets. Although our priority is to get the lights back on, sometimes we’re not able to do this as quickly as we’d like, especially during bad weather conditions. However, we may be able to offer you additional help during these times.