SSEN teams continue working to restore power to hundreds in the north-east who are still without electricity

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) remains at red alert status for its north of Scotland area following the impact of Storm Arwen, which brought widespread disruption to much of the country.

Sustained wind speeds of over 70mph were recorded across the north of Scotland from early afternoon yesterday, with gusts in excess of 90mph observed alongside significant rainfall, with wind speeds only starting to subside from the early hours of this morning.

The impact of Storm Arwen has resulted in significant damage to SSEN’s electricity network due to fallen trees, branches, and other wind-blown debris striking network infrastructure.

As of 9.30am this morning, SSEN has experienced over 300 high voltage faults and its operational teams have successfully restored power to over 40,000 customers in extremely challenging conditions.

Around 75,000 customers current remain off supply, with the main areas affected being Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and the Moray Coast.

This includes a large swathe of customers in the Kemnay and Alford areas and many other rural homes which rely on pole based transmission to their properties.

SSEN’s teams have been out since first light this morning to fully assess the extent of damage to its network and progress the restoration of customer supplies.

A spokesperson for SSEN said: "Multiple incidents of damage to network infrastructure are expected in the areas worst affected by yesterday’s storm, which will prolong restoration times for affected customers.

"Access to faults continues to prove very difficult due to fallen trees, closed roads and the aftermath of yesterday’s challenging weather conditions.

"Welfare facilities are being deployed to key areas affected to offer customers hot food and drinks whilst they remain off supply.

In Aberdeenshire and Moray this includes - Cullen, Beach; Kintore, In the Square; Mintlaw, MACBI Community Hub and Tarland, In the Square.

Mark Rough, Director of Customer Operations at SSEN, said:“The impact of Storm Arwen continues to be felt across much of the country and has resulted in significant damage to our network across the north of Scotland.

“Our teams have been out since first light this morning to fully assess the extent of damage, supported by helicopter patrols to identify the worst affected areas, as we continue to restore power to customers in what remains very challenging conditions.

“Despite detailed preparations, the prolonged and severe nature of the weather continues to hamper efforts to restore supplies, with the high winds only subsiding from the early hours of this morning.

“We would like to apologise to customers who have experienced a loss of supply and would like to reassure them that our teams are doing all we can to prioritise fault restoration and carry out repairs at the earliest opportunity."

For updates on power outages visit https://powertrack.ssen.co.uk/powertrack

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