193,000 homes remain without power as of 5pm this afternoon as thousands of engineers tackle damage three times greater than that experienced during the ‘Beast from the East’ storm in 2018, and the worst storm to affect power supplies in 15 years.
Challenges on the front line
In some parts of the country 25 days’ worth of faults have landed in just 24 hours prompting energy networks to draft in extra people, helicopters and drones from across the country.
Power lines have been brought down and poles snapped in half.
Snow, freezing conditions, high winds, blocked roads and complex, labour-intensive faults are making power restoration extremely challenging.
Engineering teams must first focus efforts on high voltage faults, allowing them to restore power to the greatest number of people. However, as these faults are fixed, further low voltage faults are being uncovered. These are proving challenging and taking teams significant periods of time to repair storm damage in isolated locations.
Ross Easton from Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK's electricity and gas network companies, said:
"It's set to be another difficult night for lots of customers, but engineers from across the country are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Our members are working with local resilience partners, the British Red Cross and emergency services to provide extra help and support. Welfare centres have also been set up and dedicated teams are contacting vulnerable customers."
Advice to customers issued
The energy networks are advising customers who remain without power, particularly those in rural and isolated communities, that power will not be restored to everyone this weekend. Those without power should consider making alternative arrangements, such as staying with friends or family, where possible.
With customer phone lines extremely busy, customers are encouraged to only call in an emergency or if they need extra help, to keep the line clear for vulnerable customers who may need extra support.
If customers see a damaged power line or other damaged infrastructure then they should keep as far away from the hazard as possible and contact their network operator immediately by calling 105 for free. If there is an immediate risk to life or someone is in danger, they should call 999.
Customers can monitor progress by following their network operator on Twitter. Enter your postcode at energynetworks.org/StormArwen to find your local network operator’s details, including social media channels.
Energy network companies are working with emergency services, British Red Cross, Local Resilience Forums and multi-agency partners to provide extra help and support to customers who are without power.
About us
Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body representing the energy networks. Our members include every major electricity network operator in the UK. The electricity networks are at the heart of the energy transition. They directly employ more than 26,000 people in the UK, including 1,500 apprentices. They are spending and investing £33bn in our electricity grids over the coming years, to ensure safe, reliable and secure energy supplies for the millions of homes and businesses reliant on power every day.
Press contacts
You can contact ENA's press office by emailing press@energynetworks.org. For urgent or out-of-hours enquiries from journalists, please call 0204 599 7691.