Shetland severe weather - 9.30pm update

A 150-strong team of engineers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution and contract partners have today surpassed expectations and made significant progress in restoring power to homes and businesses in Shetland.

Teams have worked tirelessly to restore 900 supplies in Sandness, Hillswick, Papa Stour and Wester Skeld, with some significant progress in West Mainland through the course of the day. As of 9.30pm this evening, c.700 properties remain without power in parts of Voe, Brae and West of Mainland Shetland.

Helicopters have been patrolling the West Mainland area, pinpointing key sections of damage to help our teams to target their efforts and get homes reconnected quicker than expected in some areas.

Subject to no unforeseen challenges, we’re confident that the vast majority, if not all, homes will be reconnected by Sunday. There’s a chance that some small clusters of properties in the West Mainland, particularly west of Bixter, may be reconnected on Monday. Additional power line crews are travelling through the night to join our teams and we continue to make every possible effort to accelerate this timescale.

We’d like to advise that some properties that have had their power restored may be temporarily disconnected for a short period of time as we progress with our restoration plan and connect more properties to the network. We’ll aim to contact customers due to be impacted by temporary disconnections and will signpost to local welfare provisions for this period.

An updated list of locations, customer numbers connected to each circuit and the final estimated times of restoration (ETR) can be seen below. The times listed are for final reconnection of all customers on each circuit, and some properties will have their power restored prior to the ETR.

Restoration is prioritised by many factors, including the extent of damage, the ability to undertake engineering solutions to re-route the network, and the potential to connect large-scale mobile generation to restore supplies:

Thanks to the continued collaboration with Shetland Islands Council, the Local Resilience Partnership, contract partners and the local community, welfare hubs have been open throughout the day to offer hot drinks, food, kitchen facilities, fuel, broadband connections and a warm space for residents.

Recognising the impact a prolonged loss of power can have on our customers, our teams are proactively calling all customers affected to check on their welfare and offer support. This is in addition to calls we’ve been making to customers on our Priority Services Register and proactive text updates issued this week.

Mark Macdonald, Head of Region at SSEN Distribution, said:

“Today has been about making significant progress as heavy snowfall continued, reconnecting towns and villages area-by-area as we continue to repair, rebuild and restore the local electricity network ahead of our forecasts.

“Our 150-strong team of engineers and contract partners will continue to work this evening and be joined at first light tomorrow by more crews, with everyone focused on working together to restore power as quickly as we can. Thanks to the huge effort today, we’re confident we’ll reconnect the vast majority, if not all, homes by Sunday, with a chance some small clusters will be restored on Monday.

“We recognise that being without power for a prolonged period of time can be challenging, particularly for those most vulnerable. We’d like to thank Shetland Islands Council, our resilience partners and local Shetland communities for supporting those who need it most and pulling together to keep spirits up. If anyone has any concerns for themselves or others, please call us immediately on 105.”

We note weather warnings issued by the Met Office and we continue to monitor forecasts to assess the potential impact of further adverse weather conditions on our network and our restoration efforts.

The next update will be provided tomorrow PM.

Additional advice for customers

Compensation

Customers will be entitled to compensation under regulated Guaranteed Standards. This process is automatic and will be processed as quickly as possible in the weeks after the event. The amount of compensation due will vary according to how long a customer has been off supply and the extent of the weather-related incident, which is still being assessed. Further detail on the compensation process will follow alongside direct communication with customers.

Reimbursement

Customers currently without power are reminded that we are offering to reimburse reasonable food costs for a hot meal if customers are unable to access the welfare locations attached. Customers can claim up to £30 per person for every 24 hours they’re without power (from 3pm on Tuesday 13 December).

We’re also offering to reimburse reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if customers are unable to make arrangements to travel and stay with a family member or friend.

How to claim reimbursement costs:

To make a reimbursement claim in line with the guidance above, please visit this page. After inserting and confirming your details, choose ‘power cut’ and ‘reimbursement’ on the drop-down menus, attach your receipts and submit. Anyone who may need support to process claims should call our customer contact centre on 105, where our dedicated teams will be happy to raise a claim manually on your behalf.

Safety and how to keep up-to-date

We are urging people not to approach any damaged equipment and instead, to report it by calling 105 or via our Power Track App and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.

Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of continued 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
• Downloading SSEN’s Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through the Power Track app
• Going to SSEN’s website 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

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.