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We're continuing with our response to the widespread network damage caused by Storm Boelo’s gale-force winds, with gusts up to 85mph felt in some parts of the north of Scotland. Throughout this, where safe to do so, our teams have been working hard in extremely challenging conditions to reconnect our customers’ electricity.
As of 7pm this afternoon, more than 54,000 customers have had their electricity restored. The hard work by our men and women in the field has been complemented by staff in our Control Room, who have restored supplies to thousands of customers by remote switching. Work will continue into this evening as long as conditions allow, to reconnect the remaining 38,000 homes who are without power.
The sustained strength of the winds, combined with the extent of infrastructure damage and challenges accessing faults due to fallen trees and flooding on the road network, means that carrying out these repairs will take some time. Whilst we expect the vast majority of customers who remain off supply overnight will have their power restored tomorrow, , we anticipate that it will be Tuesday before all customers affected by Storm Boelo have their electricity restored.
Our response in more detail
Hundreds of additional team members are working on our response to this severe storm.
In preparation for Storm Boelo, teams additional network maintenance crews were moved to locations where the greatest customer impact was expected. And as soon as winds dropped to a speed where it’s safe to work at height, repairs have progressed.
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.   
- Additional tree-cutting teams have been preparing the way for engineers to get to damage on the network.
- We’ve boosted the usual staffing levels on duty in our Customer Contact Centre to respond to calls and social media messages from customers.   
- A large welfare operation is being prepared for mobilisation tomorrow morning when wind speeds have dropped sufficiently, with 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 220,000 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.
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 registered for our Priority Services can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they’re without power for more than 24 hours. . 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.
Preparing for another period of high winds
As our teams continue to respond to the impacts of Storm Boelo, we are also actively preparing for a third storm in less than a week that is forecast to impact the north of Scotland on Tuesday.
This will bring another period of high winds and heavy rain, particularly in western and northern regions. Our established resilience plans have been enacted to ensure we are well prepared to respond to any additional damage to our network.
Nik Wheeler, Head of Customer Operations - SHEPD at SSEN said:
“Despite the significant, and widespread, damage to our electricity network as a result of Storm Boelo, we have made excellent progress to safely restore power to the majority of customers impacted. "Our teams will continue to work into the evening where it is safe to do so and will be back out from the early hours of tomorrow morning as we continue to do everything we can to restore supplies to those who remain off supply. “We would like to thank all customers affected for their patience and would encourage anyone off supply to call our teams on 105 for an update on our restoration plans.”
📞 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 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 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.
Find out more about Priority Services 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 (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.