Shetland severe weather – 2pm update

Engineers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have been out since first light this morning to continue rebuilding Shetland’s electricity network following the severe impact of adverse weather conditions this week.

A 125-strong team is currently working in Brae, Voe, Firth, Gremista, Yell and the West Mainland, with progress on customer numbers off supply expected later this evening. As of 2pm today, c.2,400 properties remain without power as engineers continue to rebuild the critical ‘backbone’ of the network to enable wider restoration.

Additional crews arrived from the mainland first thing this morning, with lorries of electricity poles, overhead line, resources and equipment also arriving on the freight ferry.

We’re working closely with Shetland Islands Council and the Local Resilience Partnership to clear roads of snow and ice which are causing significant and severe access issues in parts of the West Mainland in particular. We’ve deployed helicopters in the area today to assess the extent of the damage, where our teams are facing significant challenges in carrying out foot patrols.

In the West Mainland and parts of Voe, where comprehensive line rebuilds are required, engineers will connect large-scale mobile generation sets to restore power to customers. Restoration remains likely to extend to the end of this week, with areas experiencing significant network damage extending into the weekend, depending on weather conditions and continued access issues. A more detailed assessment of estimated restoration times will be provided later today.

We continue to work closely with our resilience partners to ensure extra support is provided to those who need it most. We’re supporting the welfare effort by providing non-perishable food and connecting mobile generation to power rest centres at the following locations:

• Walls Public Hall, Walls, Shetland, ZE2 9PF – open 24 hours to provide hot drinks and a warm hub.
• Symbister Hall, Walsay, Symbister, Whalsay, ZE2 9AA – open 10am until 7pm for hot drinks and a warm hub, catering van also on site.
• Isbister Public Hall, Whalsay, ZE2 9AJ – open 24 hours, providing a warm hub, use of kitchen facilities and broadband.
• Skeld Hall, Skeld, ZE2 9NL – open 12pm until 8pm to provide a warm hub and hot drinks.
• South Nesting Hall, Skellister, Shetland, ZE2 9PP – open 10am until dark offering hot drinks and a warm space.
• North Ness Public Hall, Ulsta, Yell, ZE2 9BD – open from 9am until 7pm to provide a warm space and hot drinks.
• Bixter Hall, Bixter, ZE2 9LU – open 10am until 6pm to provide a warm hub and hot drinks (please call 01595 810670 to confirm if the hall is open before travelling).
• Sandness Public Hall, Sandness, ZE2 9PL – open 12pm until 3pm to provide a warm space and hot drinks.
• Walls Shop, Walls, ZE2 9PF – normal opening hours, fuel station and shop.
• Skellister Stores, Catfirth, South Nesting, ZE2 9PP – normal opening hours, fuel station and shop.

Welfare centres also remain open in areas where power has been restored:

• Aith Public Hall – open and providing a warm space and hot drinks.
• Speldiburn Community Café, Gunnista Road, Bressay, ZE2 9EN – open 24 hours.
• St Magnus Bay Hotel, Hilswick, ZE2 9RW – open 24 hours.
• Tingwall Hall, The Strand, Gott, ZE2 9SE – currently open.
• Voe Public Hall, Isles Road, Voe, ZE2 9PT – open 9am until 5pm offering a warm space and a shower room for personal care.
• Whiteness and Weisdale Hall, Strom Road End, ZE2 9LG – open on request.
• RNLI Aith Lifeboat, Bixter, ZE2 9NA – open on request.
• Mossbank Public Hall, ZE2 9RB – open on request.

Further updates will be provided by Shetland Islands Council on welfare locations throughout the course of the day.

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

“With the arrival of additional crews, resources and equipment this morning, we’ve now got a 125-strong team working tirelessly to repair significant network damage in parts of Shetland. We’ve deployed helicopters to assess damage on some of the worst impacted circuits in the West Mainland and parts of Voe, where severe access issues continue to hamper our restoration efforts.

“We’d like to thank Shetland Islands Council and the Local Resilience Partnership for their ongoing support in helping to ease access issues, which is vital for our teams to make good progress today in restoring power to our customers.

“I’d continue to encourage customers to visit warm welfare locations, organised in collaboration with our partners, which are serving hot drinks, offering kitchen facilities, and providing a warm space for customers without power. I’d also urge anyone who has any concerns for themselves or others, particularly family members or neighbours who may need extra support, to give our teams a call on 105.”

We continue to monitor weather forecasts to assess the potential impact of further adverse weather conditions on our network and our restoration efforts.

The next update will be provided this evening.

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 above. Customers can claim up to £30 per person for every 24 hours they’re without power (from 3pm on Tuesday 13 December) and are asked to keep copies of their receipts.

For customers on our Priority Services Register without power and who are unable to make alternative arrangements to travel and stay with a family member or friend, we’re offering to reimburse reasonable costs for alternative accommodation. Anyone on our Priority Services Register who may need support in arranging alternative accommodation should call our customer contact centre on 105.

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.

Advice for customers

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.