SSEN Distribution said on 22 December 2023 that it had restored power to over 25,000 homes and businesses that lost supplies during the previous day's severe weather across the north of Scotland1. The company said its network stood up well to several hours of sustained gale-force winds and that its teams fixed faults and carried out repairs1.
Around 18,000 customers on the Western Isles and Skye lost power because of a fault on the SSEN Transmission network early on Thursday morning1. SSEN said quick deployment of on-island generation stations meant most of those customers had only a short interruption, and that a permanent repair to the transmission network was expected to be completed that day, 22 December1. Recorded wind speeds were in line with the forecast, with gusts of up to 80mph in the Northern and Western Isles and 70mph in the north of mainland Scotland1.
SSEN's customer contact centre brought in extra staff, and its agents handled more than 1,400 calls from customers in the north of Scotland during the day, while its Power Track website received more than 20,000 visits1.
"Yesterday was a particularly busy day, and I'd like to thank our customers for their patience while we responded to the impacts of this severe weather on our network. Our robust preparations and the resources we deployed have got people reconnected as quickly and as safely as possible."
With more high winds forecast for the coming days, SSEN reminded customers that if they come across any damaged equipment they should not touch it, and should report it by calling 105 or via the Power Track website so engineers can investigate as soon as possible1.
Why it matters for households
The disruption affected households and businesses across the Western Isles, Skye and the north of mainland Scotland, with the largest single loss of supply, around 18,000 customers, caused by a transmission fault rather than local distribution damage1. Most of those customers were reconnected quickly through on-island generation, but the permanent transmission repair was still expected to be completed on 22 December, so some risk remained until that work finished1. SSEN has said more high winds are forecast in the coming days1. Its advice is not to touch damaged equipment and to report it on 105 or through Power Track1. The company's own guidance on how long restoration can take and on how storms affect the electricity network sets out what usually happens during and after an outage.
What happens next
SSEN said the permanent repair to the transmission network was expected to be completed on 22 December1. The company said it would keep customers updated with news at ssen.co.uk/storm1. No further detail on the timing of individual reconnections, or on compensation, has been reported1. Households whose supply has returned can find checks to make when power comes back in the guide to what to check when the supply returns, and the power cuts hub covers wider preparation.
How Long Until Power Returns
Storms and the Electricity Grid
When the Power Comes Back
