Electricity network engineers have been working to reconnect power to 23,000 remaining homes and businesses after Storm Darragh caused widespread disruption. Damaging winds of up to 93mph downed trees and blew debris into power lines and electrical equipment over the weekend.
A rare red weather warning for wind was issued by the Met Office, signaling a danger to life, on Saturday. Amber and yellow warnings were in force for large parts of the UK over the weekend, with a yellow warning in force for all of England and Wales until late on Sunday evening.
2.3 million customers have now been reconnected and efforts focus on the remaining 23,000 customers who were without power at 2pm yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 10 December).
Customers are eligible for compensation if they have been without power for a prolonged period. Further information is available on Ofgem's website. To find out how your local network operator is handling compensation, visit their website. Customers can find their local network operator by entering their postcode at powercut105.com.
Engineers are continuing to face access challenges, with trees blocking access roads and damage located in more rural or difficult to reach areas. In South Wales, an engineering team were lucky to be unharmed after a tree fell on their van. Network operators are working with local authorities to clear roads and gain access.
Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive of Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK's electricity network operators said:
"I want to reassure customers who are without power today that every effort is being made to fix the damage that is causing this and reconnect you as quickly as possible. Engineering teams are working around the clock to make repairs, install temporary generators and reconnect supplies."
Notes to editor
- The customer numbers quoted were for Great Britain only.
- The main affected areas are the south west of England, and Wales.
- Met Office yellow weather warnings remained in force for wind across the whole of England and Wales until 6pm on Sunday evening.
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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.
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