Engineers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution, continue to battle prolonged severe weather conditions to restore power to homes and businesses in Shetland.

Power has been successfully restored today to customers in the Out Skerries, parts of Voe, northern parts of Whalsay, and clusters elsewhere on Shetland. As of 10.45pm this evening, 2,400 properties remain off supply in Voe, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland. Over the past 24 hours, we have replaced core infrastructure and points of damage in Voe and Yell and replaced kilometres of overhead line, as our engineers rebuild the critical ‘backbone’ of the network which will enable wider restoration.

Restoration efforts were boosted this morning with the arrival of 15 power line crews from the mainland and Orkney, with additional engineers travelling throughout the day and on tonight’s ferry. A 125-strong team will continue to carry out repairs until power is restored to all properties affected, this remains likely to extend to the end of this week. Depending on weather conditions and travel availability, it is possible this could extend into the weekend for some properties. A more detailed assessment of estimated restoration times will be provided tomorrow.

Helicopters have surveyed overhead power lines today to assess the situation alongside foot patrols, with significant network damage recorded in West Mainland and parts of Voe. Some circuits in these areas will require significant rebuilds and our teams are utilising large-scale mobile generation sets to restore power to customers until permanent repairs are carried out.

We continue to work closely with Shetland Islands Council, the Care for People Group, and the Local Resilience Partnership 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 – hall opening at 10am until 7am for hot drinks and a warm hub, catering van operating from 10am – 7pm.
  • Isbister Public Hall, Whalsay, ZE2 9AJ – opening hours will be advertised on the local Facebook page.
  • Voe Public Hall, Isles Road, Voe, ZE2 9PT – opening at 9am until 12 noon providing hot drinks and a warm space.
  • South Nesting Hall, Skellister, Shetland, ZE2 9PP – opening from 10am – 2pm and 4pm – 6pm offering hot drinks and a warm space.
  • Burravoe Public Hall, Burravoe, Yell, ZE2 9AY – opening from 12pm until 8pm for hot drinks and a warm space.
  • North Ness Public Hall, Ulsta, Yell, ZE2 9BD – opening from 9am until 7pm to provide a warm space and hot drinks.
  • Bixter Hall, Bixter, ZE2 9LU – opening from 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 – opening from 12 noon until 3pm to provide a warm space and hot drinks.
  • Skeld Hall, Skeld, ZE2 9NL – opening from 12 noon until 8pm to provide a warm hub and hot drinks.
  • Walls Shop, Walls, ZE2 9PF – providing fuel.
  • Skellister Stores, Catfirth, South Nesting, ZE2 9PP – will be connected by mobile generation tomorrow morning and, once connected, the fuel station will open as per normal opening hours.

A further update will be provided by Shetland Islands Council on welfare locations tomorrow morning.

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

“Today has been about rebuilding the core spine of the network. Following three days of significant travel constraints, severe access issues and continued adverse weather conditions, we’re making up for lost time with engineers working since first light today. By tomorrow, a 125-strong team will continue this rebuild, while simultaneously reconnecting homes by re-routing the network and connecting large-scale mobile generation to restore power to our customers.

“We’d encourage customers to take advantage of the welfare provisions organised in partnership with Shetland Islands Council and the Local Resilience Partnership, working closely with DH Marine who have worked tirelessly throughout the day to connect mobile generation to power local public halls. We’ve delivered non-perishable food items to these locations this evening to support the joint welfare effort, ensuring the worst affected communities have access to hot food, drink and a warm space.”

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 mid-morning tomorrow.

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 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.