Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have been out since first light this morning to continue restoring power to homes impacted by extreme weather conditions in Shetland.
As of 11am this morning, we have successfully restored power to over 2,500 properties, with 3,800 homes currently off supply in Voe, Whalsay, Brae, Tumblin, Yell and Unst.
All efforts are being made to restore customer supplies as soon as practically possible, but our teams are experiencing extremely challenging conditions. Weather-related travel delays are also restricting the ability to send additional operational teams to the islands.
We expect to make progress today in restoring customers on Yell and Unst through repair of the main network, but due to the extent of damage, significant travel restrictions and continued issues accessing fault locations, full restoration of customers is likely to extend to the end of this week. This is particularly the case for outlying islands and localised faults and further information will be shared once all faults are assessed.
We recognise the impact this may have on our customers and are working closely with local resilience partners to identify those who may need additional support and coordinate welfare arrangements. We have also proactively contacted over 700 customers on our Priority Services Register and this communication will continue until supplies are restored.
The majority of faults have been caused by ‘line icing’, a rare occurrence where, at a certain temperature, snow and ice sticks to overhead power lines and accumulates, adding significant weight to the lines and causing them to break. This has caused multiple points of damage on Shetland’s overhead line network.
Mark Macdonald, Head of Region at SSEN Distribution, said:
“Following the impact of significant snowfall and extreme weather conditions in Shetland over the past 24 hours, our engineers have been out since first light this morning to continue restoration efforts. Access issues, complex repairs and ongoing adverse weather have resulted in significantly challenging conditions for our local teams.
“We’ve seen extensive damage to the overhead power lines connecting homes and businesses, including multiple points of damage caused by snow and ice accretion which was not forecast. Our local teams have described the conditions as the worst they’ve seen in over 20 years.
“We’re moving engineers from the mainland to Shetland to assist with restoration efforts and have multiple teams ready to travel, pending improvements in the current travel situation. We’re also working with resilience partners to look at all alternative travel options.
"I'd like to reassure our customers we’re doing everything we can to restore power as quickly as possible and would encourage anyone who may be in a vulnerable situation to contact us on the power cut helpline, 105.”
A further update will be provided at 5.30pm today.
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 ongoing 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.
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