Further progress has been made restoring supplies late last night and early this morning as SSEN continues to mobilise all available resources to those areas still impacted. As of 10am this morning, electricity supplies have been successfully restored to over 41,000 properties, with around 2,500 properties currently off supply.
The areas that continue to be impacted are mainly concentrated in Aberdeenshire, including parts of Oyne, Banff, Methlick, Insch, Turriff, Belhelvie, Kennethmont, Gartly, Wardhouse, Huntly, Ellon. Glenmuick, Fyvie and surrounding areas.
Additional resources continue to be deployed to support today’s restoration efforts, including extra support from other electricity network operators and contractors from across the country. A further 150 field and support staff will join teams across the areas still impacted throughout the course of today, bringing the total number of staff responding to Storm Otto to 750.
SSEN is confident the majority of customers impacted by Storm Otto will have their power restored today, with small pockets of customers affected by localised and rural faults to be restored by tomorrow evening at the latest.
To help support those customers who remain off supply, SSEN continues to work closely with local resilience partners to coordinate welfare arrangements and identify those customers who may need additional support. SSEN has proactively contacted over 130,000 customers on its Priority Services Register and continues to call those in the highest categories of vulnerability to check on their welfare and provide additional support.
Mobile food vans have been deployed to the main areas still off supply, with the following locations serving food and drinks from 8am today:
- Cruden Bay (Main Street Bay)
- Huntly (Car Park at Market Muir)
- Aberchirder (Car Park at the Square)
- Hatton (Car Park beside the Village Hall)
- Insch (Outside the Church)
- Mintlaw (Macbi Community Hub Car Park)
- Maud (Market Street outside the Social Club)
- Kennethmont (Clatt Village Hall Car Park)
In line with SSEN’s established welfare policy, any customer who has been off supply for longer than 12 hours is also entitled to claim up to £30 for food, per day. Customers are asked to keep copies of receipts for any claims.
For those customers on SSEN’s Priority Services Register who will remain off supply for a second night, SSEN is now offering to reimburse them should they wish to make alternative accommodation arrangements for tonight. SSEN continues to proactively contact those customers to keep them updated and to allow them to consider making alternative arrangements.
Mark Rough, Operations Director at SSEN Distribution, said:
“Our teams have made further progress late last night and early this morning restoring the remaining customers still off supply following the impacts of Storm Otto.
“Having now assessed the majority of those faults that are still to be repaired, we are confident the majority of customers impacted will be restored today and expect everyone still off supply to be restored by tomorrow evening at the latest.
“We continue to work closely with our resilience partners to support our customers as required, particularly those on our Priority Services Register, and would encourage anyone who may need additional support to contact our dedicated teams on the power cut helpline, 105.”
The next update will be provided this afternoon.
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
- Visiting our Power Track website to get details on power cuts and restoration times, as well as to report power cuts and network damage. Or download the Power Track app on Apple or Android.
- 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.
Priority Services
