SSEN Distribution moves to Weather Warning status for north of Scotland ahead of high winds

SSEN Distribution moved to Weather Warning status on 13 October 2023 ahead of a period of high winds that could affect its electricity network in the north of Scotland from Friday evening into early Saturday morning¹. The network operator said its current weather model shows high winds across the region, and that it is standing up additional teams to deal with any damage and subsequent faults¹.

The forecast gusts by area, as given by SSEN, are set out below¹.

SSEN said gusts in Aberdeenshire will begin to decrease through the night into Saturday¹. It said it is enacting its well-rehearsed contingency plans and standing up additional teams to deal with any damage to the network and subsequent faults, which may impact customers' power supplies¹.

Why it matters for households

Households in Aberdeenshire, Orkney, North East Caithness and Shetland may see disruption to electricity supplies during the periods above. SSEN encourages customers to be prepared for the possibility of disruption by saving the emergency power cut number, 105, to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network; by visiting its Power Track website or app for details of power cuts and restoration times and to report power cuts and network damage; and by using its website for advice on dealing with a power cut or to chat live to an advisor via Webchat¹.

SSEN also reminds people not to approach any damage to its equipment they might find, and instead to report it directly by calling 105 or via the Power Track app, so that engineers can investigate as soon as possible¹.

SSEN said customers are eligible for its Priority Services Register if they are deaf or hard of hearing, have a disability, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, have a chronic illness, use medical equipment or aids reliant on electricity, or are over 60¹. It gives the number for finding out more about the register as 0800 294 3259¹.

Households preparing for high winds can read the guide to preparing your home and garden for high winds, and the wider storms and snow section covers related disruption.

What happens next

SSEN said gusts in Aberdeenshire will decrease through the night into Saturday, and gave the end of the windy period in Orkney and North East Caithness as 6am on Saturday and in Shetland as midnight¹. No further update on network status or fault numbers has been reported.