NORTHERN POWERGRID TEAMS WORK INTO THE NIGHT AND ENGINEERS FROM ACROSS UK READY TO SUPPORT NETWORK OPERATOR’S CONTINUED RESPONSE TO STORM ARWEN

As at 11pm

• Northern Powergrid teams work into night to continue efforts to restore power to as many customers as possible.
• More than 100 extra engineers from UK Power Networks, Northern Ireland Electricity and National Grid Electricity Transmission inducted and ready to bolster Northern Powergrid’s response.
• All planned work postponed at present with teams focused on activities to get customers back on supply.
• Helicopter flights today reveal scale of devastation to Northern Powergrid’s network.
• Additional helicopters secured to support engineers on the ground and move materials.

Teams at Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, are set to work into the night as it continues to restore power to customers still affected as a result of Storm Arwen.

The network operator has now restored power to around 208,000 of the 240,000 customers affected and is working to restore thousands more tonight.

The scale of damage in some locations is so extensive that in some cases, large sections of overhead lines will need to be rebuilt in order to restore supplies. Where it can, Northern Powergrid is deploying temporary fixes that get customers back on supply whilst its teams coordinate the necessary permanent repairs to get the region’s power network back to full strength.

Despite the mammoth efforts of its teams, there will still be many customers without power for another night.  Throughout the day its customer service teams have been calling people who have been without power for a long time so customers could make informed choices about organising alternative arrangements, particularly with the current wintery conditions.

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s Major Incident Manager, said: “Intelligence from our helicopter inspections has illustrated the scale of impact on our network. The impact from Storm Arwen has been one of the worst we’ve experienced in the last 20 years.

“Despite this we have restored more than 200,000 customers supplies and our dedicated teams will not stop until all customers are restored, and our network is returned to full strength.

“We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from other UK network companies, who have provided resource as part of the industry’s mutual support arrangements, which exist for extreme events like this.

“Our frontline teams and contractors will work in partnership with engineers from other parts of the UK, we have also organised additional customer service support to bolster our contact centre to help us keep customers updated.

“We continue to work closely with the region’s gas, water and rail network companies to coordinate with their teams and prioritise our work to help minimise the broader impact on the region.”

Northern Powergrid’s customer support vehicles have been out and about in communities, supporting customers with access to hot water, drinks, mobile phone charging and winter warmer packs.  The network operator is continuing to work with the British Red Cross and multi-agency partners, as part of Local Resilience Forums, to support the most vulnerable members in the worst affected communities.

Northern Powergrid is reinforcing the importance that local people who spot any damaged cables or equipment must not approach the area as equipment may still be live and pose a risk of electrocution. Customers must contact the company immediately by calling 105.

Power cut advice and tips include:

• turn off electrical appliances at the socket (this is particularly important for heating or cooking appliances as your power could be restored at any time and potentially cause a safety hazard)
• keep one light switched on so you know when power is restored
• keep a battery or wind-up torch handy – they’re much safer than candles
• bookmark Northern Powergrid’s online power cut reporting service on your mobile devices – www.northernpowergrid.com/power-cuts and add 105, the free power cut, to mobile phone contact details
• have a charged mobile phone with important numbers, including Northern Powergrid’s contact details, easily accessible.
• check on your elderly or sick neighbours and relatives
• ensure you have warm clothing and blankets handy and some food and drink in your home that does not require electricity to heat or prepare it
• only call 999 in the event of an emergency.