As of 8pm this evening, electricity supplies have now been successfully restored to over 43,000 properties, with less than 500 properties currently off supply.
SSEN’s teams will continue to work into the evening to carry out further repairs, with 200 customers expected to remain off supply overnight. These mainly consist of single premises or small clusters of customers in rural locations across Aberdeenshire.
SSEN’s teams will continue to proactively contact all those customers who currently remain off supply to make them aware of their estimated restoration times where this is known and encourage them to take up SSEN’s welfare offering.
Mobile food vans continue to support customers in the main areas still affected, with the following locations continuing to serve food and drinks until 9pm this evening:
- Huntly, Car Park at Market Muir
- Aberchirder (Fogie), Car Park at the Square
- Insch, Outside the Church
- Kennethmont, Clatt Village Hall Car Park
The Huntly food and another in Maud at Market Street outside the social club, both of which are located in a central location to most of those customers who will remain off supply overnight, will also serve food and drinks from 8am tomorrow morning. Other vans will remain on standby should they need to be deployed to further support customers tomorrow.
Mark Rough, Operations Director at SSEN Distribution, said:
“Our teams continue to make good progress restoring power to the final customers still off supply and will continue to work into the evening to continue restoration efforts, with around 200 customers expected to remain off supply overnight.
“We continue to proactively contact all those customers who remain off supply to make them aware of our restoration plans where this is known, encourage them to take up our welfare provisions and to help those who will remain off supply for a second night to consider making alternative arrangements.
“We also continue to work closely with our resilience partners to support our customers as required, particularly those on our Priority Services Register, and would encourage anyone who may need additional support to contact our dedicated teams on the power cut helpline, 105.”
The next update will be provided tomorrow morning.
Advice for customers
We are urging people not to approach any damaged equipment and instead, to report it by calling 105 or via Power Track and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.
Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of ongoing disruption to supplies by:
- Saving the 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
- Visiting our Power Track website to get details on power cuts and restoration times, as well as to report power cuts and network damage. Or download the Power Track app on Apple or Android.
- Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
Priority Services Register
SSEN’s Priority Services Register (PSR) provides extra help and support during a power cut. Customers are eligible for our free priority services 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
- Temporarily need extra support
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.
Compensation arrangements
Once power has been restored to all properties and final assessments carried out, customers will be entitled to compensation under the regulated Guaranteed Standards of Performance. For power interruptions over 48 hours, customers will receive £70, with a further £70 for every subsequent 12-hour period they were off supply.
Customers do not need to contact SSEN to request compensation. This process is automatic and will be processed as quickly as possible in the weeks after the event.
Direct communication on this process will follow. This is over and above any reimbursement costs for food for all customers, or accommodation for Priority Services Customers.
Priority Services
