11:00am update - SSEN’s final push to restore power to customers following Storm Gerrit

Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have been working into the night and again since first light this morning in a final push to restore power to around 450 homes off supply following the impact of Storm Gerrit.

Thanks to a huge effort from SSEN’s teams in the field, as of 11am today, electricity supplies have been successfully restored to over 47,000 homes, with approximately 450 properties currently off supply.     

These localised faults are in small pockets across Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and The Great Glen and are the sole focus of today’s repair and restoration efforts. It is expected all customers will be reconnected through the course of today and this evening, barring any unforeseen challenges.

Yesterday’s improving conditions meant that substantial progress was able to be made to reconnect thousands of people who lost supplies, aided by the support of additional line crews from contractors and other network operators through Wednesday and Thursday.

Teams continued to work into the early hours to the clear debris, which was hindering access to compete the repairs, which resulted in hundreds more properties being reconnected late last night. And, at first light today, crews have resumed their targeted efforts to restore those final properties. 

SSEN is continuing to work closely with local resilience partners to coordinate welfare arrangements and identify customers who may benefit from additional support.  Customer service teams are also in regular contact with those on the Priority Services Register to give updates and offer support with alternative accommodation where necessary.

In mobilising its response, SSEN deployed additional teams to restore power and to support customers throughout the storm. Over 13,000 incoming calls have been taken, while more than 11,000 proactive calls have been made to Priority Service Register customers.

Welfare vans serving free hot food and drink have been open since 9am in the following locations.

* Formantine United FC car park, Old Meldrum Road, Pitmedden, AB41 7PA
* The Riggs car park, Fort Augustus, PH32 4DF
* The Square, Tarland, AB34 4YL
* Bellabeg, Strathdon (opposite the local shop) AB36 8UL
* The car park beside the football pitch, Halkirk, KW12 6YJ

As part of our support package for customers impacted by power cuts, people who have had no power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day without power, to cover the cost of food and drink. People should keep hold of receipts and claim costs back at www.ssen.co.uk/stormclaim

In addition, customers on SSEN’s Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if it is expected they will be without power for over 24 hours. Support with booking accommodation can be provided if needed.   If a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours, all customers can benefit from this support

Andy Smith, Operations Director at SSEN Distribution, says:

“Our operational teams have made excellent progress in restoring customers impacted by Storm Gerrit, in the face of continued challenging conditions last night. We recognise this has been a difficult couple of days for the customers still affected, and I’m grateful to them for their continued patience and support as our teams work extremely hard to restore power.

“Up to now we’ve targeted our restoration plan on repairing the faults that will reconnect the greatest number of customers, and those who have been without power the longest.  Today, we face a number of complex and very localised faults, and we press on to reconnect those final customers affected. We are still encountering some access challenges. However, I’d like to reassure our customers that all our teams have been directed to these last few remaining areas of damage for this final push.

“Our established welfare policy is active, offering reimbursement for meals and accommodation, for those who’re eligible, and we’re speaking to our most vulnerable customers to offer them tailored support.  Anyone who may need additional help or advice should contact our dedicated teams on the power cut helpline, 105.”

Once final fault assessments are carried out, any customers impacted for over 48 hours will be entitled to compensation under the regulated Guaranteed Standards of Performance. For power interruptions over 48 hours, customers will receive £80, with a further £40 for every subsequent 6-hour period they were off supply (up to a maximum of £2,000). Customers do not need to contact SSEN to request compensation. This process is automatic and will be processed as quickly as possible in the weeks after the event.

A further update will be provided this afternoon.

If you see any damage to our equipment, please stay back, don’t touch it and instead report it to us directly by calling 105, or via our Power Track Website, and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.

Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:

• Saving the emergency power cut number - '105' - to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network

• Visiting our Power Track Website to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through Power Track.

• Visiting the "Preparing for a power cut" section on our website, where there is a wealth of advice and information, or to chat live to one of our advisors via the Webchat service

Customers are also eligible for our Priority Services Register (PSR) 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.

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.