Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution are making progress in restoring power to homes impacted by the ongoing extreme weather conditions in Shetland.
Engineers continue to work in extremely challenging conditions and have restored power to 1,000 properties in Unst, Gutcher and parts of Yell by repairing the main 33 kilovolt network throughout the course of today.
As of 5.30pm this evening, c. 2,800 customers remain off supply in Voe, Whalsay, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland.
Following recent travel disruption, we’ve mobilised additional support from the mainland, with around 70 operational colleagues making their way to support restoration efforts. While all efforts are focused on restoring customer supplies as soon as possible, full restoration remains likely to extend to the end of this week.
Damage to our network is considerable and particularly extensive across the West of Mainland Shetland and we’re mobilising large-scale generation to complement overhead line repairs.
We recognise the impact a prolonged outage may have on our customers and are working very closely with Shetland Islands Council, the Care for People Group, and the Local Resilience Partnership to identify those most vulnerable and coordinate additional support. This includes making mobile generation facilities available to support the joint welfare effort.
Mark Macdonald, Head of Region at SSEN Distribution, said:
“Our teams continue to battle ongoing challenging conditions and extensive damage to our network to restore power to customers, with around 1,000 properties successfully reconnected throughout the course of today.
“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we mobilise additional support from the mainland to assist with the restoration effort, with a 70-strong team on its way to Shetland now travel constraints have eased. We’d like to thank NorthLink Ferries and Loganair for their ongoing support in getting our engineers to the islands as quickly as possible.
“I’d like to reassure customers we’re working to restore supplies as quickly as possible, liaising closely with our resilience partners to support the joint welfare effort. If anyone has any concerns for themselves or others, particularly family members of neighbours who may need extra support, I’d encourage them 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.
The next update will be provided mid-morning tomorrow.
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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