Following further progress last night and early this morning, as of 9am today, electricity supplies have been successfully restored to over 43,000 properties, with less than 100 properties currently off supply.
These mainly consist of single premises or small clusters of customers in rural locations across Aberdeenshire.
SSEN’s teams will remain in contact with those customers who remain off supply to make them aware of their estimated restoration times, where this is known; and encourage them to take up SSEN’s welfare offering. SSEN remain confident all customers who remain off supply will be reconnected by 6pm this evening at the latest.
SSEN continues to work closely with local resilience partners to coordinate welfare arrangements and identify those customers who may need additional support, with mobile food vans continuing to support customers in the main areas still affected, with the following locations serving food and drinks:
- Maud, Market Street outside the social club (from 8am today)
- Turriff, The Haughs (expected from 11.30am today)
SSEN’s teams have proactively contacted all customers who remain off supply to provide an estimated time of restoration. Any customer who remains off supply and has yet to receive an update on their estimated time of restoration is encouraged to call SSEN’s teams on 105.
Mark Rough, Operations Director at SSEN Distribution, said:
“After further progress reconnecting customers late last light, our teams have been back out since first light this morning in the final push to repair damage and restore power to those remaining customers who remain off supply.
“We expect to make good progress throughout the course of today and remain confident all customers will be back reconnected by this 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 Power Track 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.
Compensation arrangements
Once power has been restored to all properties and final assessments carried out, customers will be entitled to compensation under the regulated Guaranteed Standards of Performance. For power interruptions over 48 hours, customers will receive £70, with a further £70 for every subsequent 12-hour period they were off supply.
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.
Direct communication on this process will follow. This is over and above any reimbursement costs for food for all customers, or accommodation for Priority Services Customers.
Reimbursement arrangements
As part of SSEN’s established welfare framework, customers who were off supply for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day they're without power to cover the cost of food and drink. Customers are asked to retain their receipts and submit these to us once their power is back on. They can do this at ssen.co.uk/otto
Customers on SSEN’s Priority Services Register are also entitled to reimbursement of hotel accommodation after their first night without power. These customers can claim in the same way as food and drink above.
Once submitted, SSEN will process claims and issue reimbursement via cheque as quickly as possible.
Priority Services
