SSEN texts almost 170,000 vulnerable customers ahead of Storm Éowyn

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) sent text messages to almost 170,000 of its more vulnerable customers in the north of Scotland on 23 January 2025, giving help and advice on preparing in case they lose power, and telephoned the most vulnerable in areas expected to be worst hit to offer additional support¹. The same afternoon the network operator moved to Red Alert status for the north of Scotland, citing the severity of the forecast and its assessment of the potentially high impact on the network¹.

SSEN said it was taking additional steps ahead of Storm Éowyn's arrival early on Friday morning, which it described as forecast to be the worst of the winter so far, with disruption to the electricity network expected¹. The size of its response team is around 10 times usual levels, with extra control room operators, more engineers in the areas expected to be worst affected, additional customer contact centre staff and extra tree cutting teams to help engineers reach faults¹.

The Met Office red wind warning includes areas of SSEN's north of Scotland network, including Arran, Kintyre and Islay, with the rest of Scotland under an amber warning for wind¹. In the red warning area, 80-90mph gusts are expected inland, with 100mph gusts possible on exposed western coasts and peak winds expected from late morning to early afternoon; more widely, gusts of 60-70mph are expected, with 70-80mph likely in some places and 80-90mph possible on exposed coasts and hills¹.

SSEN listed the groups eligible for its free Priority Services Register (PSR): customers who 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 gave the PSR enquiry number as 0800 294 3259¹.

Why it matters for households

The text messages and calls went to customers already registered as more vulnerable in the north of Scotland, the area covered by the red warning and the operator's Red Alert status¹. SSEN said customers should be prepared for the likelihood that the winds may disrupt supplies, and that reconnection may take some time given the strength and spread of the winds, with travel to and carrying out repairs likely to be very challenging¹. SSEN asked customers to report faults by calling 105 at any time, or via its Power Track website or app, and to stay back from any damaged equipment and report it rather than touch it¹. It also encouraged customers to save the number 105 to their phone and to follow its Facebook page (ssencommunity) for updates¹. Households not yet on a priority register can find out how to join one in our guide to signing up to priority services registers for energy and water, and what registration provides in our guide to extra help in an emergency. Our storms and snow hub covers wider preparation for severe weather.

What happens next

SSEN said Storm Éowyn's winds would arrive from the west in the early hours of Friday morning and move across its north of Scotland licence area during the day, with the strong winds moving further north and affecting the rest of Scotland during Friday afternoon and evening¹. It said its additional teams would be deployed across the network to reroute supplies around faults, fix faults and handle calls, and that updates would be posted on Power Track and its Facebook page¹.