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We're responding to widespread network damage caused by Storm Amy’s extremely high winds. Friday evening’s wind speeds reached 96mph at lower levels on Tiree, and gusts of over 100mph were recorded in exposed areas. Sustained storm-force winds have continued throughout Saturday, and our teams have been working hard in challenging conditions to reconnect homes.
As of 3:30pm on Saturday afternoon, the power is back on for more than 33,000 customers. Work continues to reconnect 42,000 homes who are without power. Tens of thousands of households have already been restored through remote switching that’s been carried out from the network control room, and by the activation of standby generation on Islay and Tiree.
Whenever conditions have allowed, teams have been out on the network today, clearing paths to damage locations, establishing the extent of network impact, and carrying out repairs wherever possible. However, the sustained strength of the winds, and the extent of infrastructure damage from debris carried by the storm, means carrying out this essential work will take some time.
Whenever conditions have allowed, teams have been out on the network today, clearing paths to damage locations, establishing the extent of network impact, and carrying out repairs wherever possible. However, the sustained strength of the winds, and the extent of infrastructure damage from debris carried by the storm, means carrying out this essential work will take some time.
Our response in more detail
Hundreds of additional team members are working on our response to this severe storm. Prior to the strongest winds arriving yesterday evening, engineering teams were moved to locations where the greatest customer impact was expected. As soon as winds have dropped to a speed where it’s safe to work at height, repairs have progressed. The number of engineers on duty has been bolstered by extra people from our own teams in the north of Scotland, those who’ve travelled up from our licence area in the south of England, and by contract partners.
In addition:
In addition:
- Extra engineers are in the control room, to remotely reroute power around damaged parts of the network where possible. In many cases, this has been done quickly, meaning less disruption for some customers.
- Ten times the usual staffing levels are on duty in our Customer Contact Centre to respond to calls and social media messages from customers.
- Additional tree-cutting teams have been preparing the way for engineers to get to damage on the network.
- A large welfare operation is being mobilised, with more than a dozen hot food vans heading to affected communities; information on locations and opening times is being shared at ssen.co.uk/stormsupport, and on our Facebook, X and BlueSky social media channels (@ssencommunity), and via local resilience partners.
- Prior to the storm arriving, text messages were sent to more than 180,000 of our more vulnerable customers with help and advice on what to do if they lose power. Telephone calls have also been made to hundreds of the most vulnerable people in affected areas.
ABOVE: Damage to homes, property and the network in Perthshire following Storm Amy's destructive winds on Friday evening.
Supporting our customers
As part of our support package, customers without power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day without power, to cover the cost of food and drink. People should keep hold of their receipts and claim costs back at www.ssen.co.uk/stormclaim.
In addition, customers on our Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they’re without power for more than 24 hours. Support with booking accommodation can be provided if needed. If a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours, all customers can benefit from this support. Customers can claim this in the same way as food and drink.
In addition, customers on our Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they’re without power for more than 24 hours. Support with booking accommodation can be provided if needed. If a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours, all customers can benefit from this support. Customers can claim this in the same way as food and drink.
SSEN’s Head of Customer Operations for the north of Scotland, Nik Wheeler, says:
“Storm Amy had an immediate, considerable impact on the network early on Friday evening, with faults occurring in line with the forecast arrival of the strongest winds. We anticipated this, and our control room teams immediately set about reconfiguring the network around damaged sections, to reconnect people as soon as possible. On some islands which lost power, the standby teams in local backup power stations were quickly mobilised to reconnect homes.
“However the strength of the winds we’ve seen so far has had a considerable impact on the network, and we’ll need these damaging gusts to subside before we can get a complete picture of this storm’s impact. Amy’s winds have continued to blow at damaging speeds, and more network damage is expected before the end of Saturday. Engineering and tree-cutting teams are well placed to respond, and they’ve been doing so as safely and quickly as they can in what are challenging conditions.
“I want to reassure our customers that every resource at our disposal is being directed at the reconnection operation, and our efforts to ensure people are kept well informed and looked after while these essential repairs are carried out. More than a dozen hot food vans are making their way to affected areas; a number are already serving meals, and details of locations are being shared on our website, social channels, and through our resilience partners in the relevant areas. Some local businesses are also opening to provide evening meals on our behalf.”
Help and advice
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 can prepare for the possibility of further 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 our Power Track Website to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through Power Track.
- 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 Webchat service
Customers are also eligible for our 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.
To find out more about Priority Services, 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
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. -
View our tips and advice to help you during a power cut
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. -
Report a power cut or damage to our network through our map
Power Track
You can stay updated and track the progress of any faults in your area on our Power Track map or report damage to our network. You can also follow the progress of planned interruptions as well as find the nearest EV charge point if you have an electric vehicle that needs charging during a power cut.