Shetland severe weather 10.45pm update

Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have made significant progress in restoring power to homes and businesses in Shetland, with around 750 properties in Burravoe, Whiteness, Girlsta and Skellister reconnected through the course of the day (Thursday).

As of 10.45pm this evening, 1,700 properties remain without power in parts of West of Mainland Shetland, Voe and Brae. Helicopter surveys and foot patrols have now provided engineers with a clear picture of the extent of the damage, enabling teams to segment the network and make progress in restoring customer supplies area-by-area. This work has been essential to the rebuilding of the ‘backbone’ of the network.

Subject to no unforeseen challenges, we expect sustained progress over the next 48 hours and are targeting the restoration of the large majority of supplies by Sunday. Given the extent of damage and access issues in the West Mainland, particularly west of Bixter, it is now anticipated that some properties in this area will be reconnected by the early part of next week. We are continuing to make every effort to improve on this if we can.

Restoration will be achieved by rebuilding and repairing the network, connecting large-scale mobile generation and re-routing the network where extensive works are required. A full list of locations, customer numbers and estimated times of restoration is below. Restoration is prioritised by many factors, including the extent of damage and ability to re-route the network.

The restoration efforts of our 125-strong team have been complemented by a huge collaborative effort to provide welfare for communities and local residents. Thanks to this partnership, coordinated by Police Scotland, Shetland Islands Council and other agencies, we’re collectively supporting around 20 warm hubs to provide hot drinks, kitchen facilities, fuel, broadband, and a warm space for customers. We’re supporting this welfare effort by providing non-perishable food and connecting mobile generation to power local public halls currently without power.

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

“I’d like to thank customers for their ongoing patience and reassure them that we’re making every effort to restore supplies as soon as possible and provide support to those who need it.

“Armies of engineers have descended upon Shetland over the past 48 hours to restore power to homes and businesses across the islands, and more are on their way. We’ve made significant progress today in continued challenging conditions, reconnecting 750 homes across the islands.

“Alongside an improvement in weather conditions and thanks to the incredible support from Shetland Islands Council and our resilience partners, the severe access issues we faced earlier today have eased. This has enabled our teams to have a clearer picture of the significant damage to our network and make good progress in restoring power to our customers.

“We recognise that each day brings new challenges for communities. I’d continue to urge anyone who has any concerns for themselves or others to give our teams a call on 105. I’d also like to remind customers of the welfare locations available, where hot drinks, food and a warm space are combined with an exceptionally strong community spirit.”

We note the yellow weather warning 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 around midday tomorrow.

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.

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.