Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said on the evening of 22 January 2024 that it had restored power to 35,000 homes in central southern England following Storm Isha1. The storm began to track across the company's central southern England patch on Sunday 21 January, bringing coastal wind speeds of over 80mph and gusts reaching 70mph inland1. SSEN said restoration efforts were focused on the final few properties still without power, and that work would resume from first light on 23 January to reconnect any remaining customers1.
SSEN said teams of linespeople and tree cutters had worked round the clock since Sunday night to identify and repair faults on the network1. Ahead of the storm it increased staff on the ground and in its contact centres, placing teams in areas forecast to be affected to enable quicker restoration times1. Over 9,000 people on the Priority Services Register in central southern England were contacted by SSEN to offer advice and assistance1.
Eliane Algaard, Director of Operations South at SSEN, said:
"Storm Isha caused considerable disruption to our network in central southern England, and I would like to say thank you to our customers for their patience while we worked through some challenging conditions today to reconnect them, as quickly and safely as possible."
SSEN set out two forms of payment for affected customers1:
| Payment | Who it covers | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Food and drink costs | People without power for more than 12 hours | £30 per person for every day without power, claimed back with receipts at ssen.co.uk/stormclaim |
| Guaranteed Standards of Performance | Customers without power for over 24 hours, once final fault assessments are carried out | £80, plus a further £40 for every subsequent six-hour period off supply |
SSEN said customers do not need to contact it to request compensation under the Guaranteed Standards, and that payments will be processed as quickly as possible; anyone eligible who has not heard from the company within the next few weeks should get in touch1.
Why it matters for households
The disruption affected SSEN's central southern England area, where the company said almost all customers had been reconnected by the evening of 22 January, with a small number still off supply overnight1. Households without power for more than 12 hours can claim £30 per person per day for food and drink, and SSEN asks people to keep receipts and claim the costs back through its storm claim page1. Compensation under the Guaranteed Standards of Performance applies to outages over 24 hours and is processed automatically1. SSEN encourages customers to save the emergency power cut number 105 and to follow its community accounts on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and says faults can be tracked on its Power Track map, which also shows the nearest electric vehicle charge point for anyone who needs to charge during a power cut1. SSEN describes its Priority Services as free extra help during a power cut, and says registering helps it to help customers when they need it most1. Households can read more on how long until the electricity comes back, on the Priority Services Register and who can join, and on whether gas central heating works without electricity; the power cuts hub covers wider preparation.
What happens next
SSEN said restoration work would resume from first light on 23 January for any final customers still off supply1. Final fault assessments will then be carried out, after which compensation under the Guaranteed Standards of Performance will be processed1.
How Long Until Power Returns
