Power supplies to more than 52,000 customers have been restored by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution following hurricane winds and heavy rains that have been lashing much of northern and western Scotland.
The severe weather conditions have been hampering efforts to repair equipment damaged by the storm. Wind speeds reached 113mph in some places, accompanied by heavy rain, making access to equipment difficult. Engineers are working hard to restore electricity to a further 45,000 customers.
Rodney Grubb, Head of Operations for SHEPD, explained: “We are facing a monumental task in getting to the damaged equipment. Trees and branches have made some rural roads impassable. We are also having to remove airborne debris tangled up in our power lines. And then there is the added problem of fading daylight, strong winds and rain. We will work as long as we can but working in the dark can be potentially dangerous. It is regrettable that some of our customers may be left without power overnight.”
Ten ‘welfare vans,’ offering free hot food and drinks, have been despatched to areas worst hit by the storm. Two catering units are currently situated at Kilchoan Community Hall and Ardfern Yacht Centre.
SHEPD, which serves 750,000 customers, is also working with councils, emergency services and a number of other agencies to ensure that vulnerable customers are looked after. So far customer call centre staff have phoned 1500 people who may require a priority service because of ill health or some other condition. Additional help has also been provided by volunteers from the British Red Cross, who have been trying to contact vulnerable customers.
A thousand technical and support staff were mobilised ahead of the storm, and despatched to rural areas where the storm was likely to cause the most damage. Staff from SHEPD’s sister company in England have also been working in Scotland to restore supplies. These numbers have been bolstered by external contractors.
Rural areas and the Western Isles have borne the full brunt of the storm. These are the number of customers off supply at the moment:
| Area | Customers Affected |
| Aberdeenshire | 833 |
| Buchan | 773 |
| Rural areas around Dingwall | 9880 |
| Rural areas around Dunblane | 751 |
| Rural areas around Dunoon | 1657 |
| Elgin/Huntly | 949 |
| Rural areas around Fort William | 2373 |
| Rural areas around Inverness | 5509 |
| Rural areas around Oban | 2934 |
| Orkney | 344 |
| Rural areas around Perth | 591 |
| Skye | 5189 |
| Western Isles | 9177 |
| Rural areas around Wick | 4363 |
Keep an eye on SSEPD's live storm feed on their website for all of the latest updates.
Image: Repair works at Luncarty, Perthshire.