Engineers in Shetland are still trying to reconnect more than 700 homes, with SSEN saying hundreds will still be without power until Sunday night
Heavy snow hit the lines on Monday, leaving more than 4,000 homes in the dark – and with no heat.
Over the week, SSEN has flown and ferried extra engineers over to Shetland to get people reconnected as quickly as possible. Around 715 homes are still in the dark, mostly in the areas of Walls, Bixter and Brae.
Following the arrival of additional crews and equipment last night, around 150 engineers are now battling the snow and ice to rebuild Shetland’s overhead power lines.
SSEN offered an estimated timeline for areas to be back on line with 124 homes in Brae and Mossbank to be reconnected by Friday night.
Bixter, Bridge Of Walls, Garderhouse and Tresta will be reconnected by Saturday night, which is 314 homes.
However, 277 homes in the areas of Walls and Voe will not be reconnected until Sunday night at the earliest.
SSEN has warned due to the extent of damage and access issues in the west mainland, some properties could remain without power until early next week.
Significant progress in challenging conditions
Helicopter surveys and foot patrols gave engineers a clear picture of the extent of the damage, which was essential in rebuilding the “backbone” of the network.
Mark Macdonald, head of region at SSEN Distribution, said the improvement in weather conditions and support from Shetland Islands Council and resilience partners had eased some of the access issues.
On Friday, engineers managed to restore power to around 900 properties.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice for the island and is in place until 10am today, meaning conditions are still challenging for the teams.
He said: “Today has been about making significant progress as heavy snowfall continued, reconnecting towns and villages area-by-area as we continue to repair, rebuild and restore the local electricity network ahead of our forecasts.
“Our 150-strong team of engineers and contract partners will continue to work this evening and be joined at first light tomorrow by more crews, with everyone focused on working together to restore power as quickly as we can.
“Thanks to the huge effort today, we’re confident we’ll reconnect the vast majority, if not all, homes by Sunday, with a chance some small clusters will be restored on Monday.”
Resilience Minister Keith Brown visited Shetland yesterday to see the ongoing efforts to restore the power, and praised the “striking” efforts of all involved.
Earlier today, Cabinet Secretary @KeithBrownSNP visited Bixter Community Hall in Shetland to see first-hand the amazing community spirit and resilience. Bixter Community Hall is one of a number of Warm Hubs which have been set up following the extreme weather in Shetland. pic.twitter.com/l2neCrwNGO
— ssencommunity (@ssencommunity) December 15, 2022
Warm hubs and help
Working alongside the police, Shetland Islands Council, and other partner agencies, 20 warm hubs have been set up and supported.
Residents affected by the power cuts can access the hubs for hot drinks, kitchen facilities, fuel, broadband, and a warm space.
SSEN is supporting the welfare effort by providing non-perishable food and connecting mobile generation to power local public halls.
Welfare centres and warm hubs
- Walls Public Hall – open 24 hours to provide hot drinks and a warm hub.
- Symbister Hall – open from 10am until 7pm.
- South Nesting Hall – open from 10am until dark.
- Burravoe Public Hall – open from 12pm until 8pm.
- North Ness Public Hall – open from 9am until 7pm.
- Bixter Hall – open from 10am until 6pm.
- Isbister Public Hall – open 24 hours.
- Skeld Hall – open 12pm until 8pm.
- Sandness Public Hall – open 12pm until 3pm.
Welfare centres continuing in areas with power:
- Aith Public Hall
- Speldiburn Community Cafe – open 24 hours.
- St Magnus Bay Hotel – open 24 hours.
- Tingwall Hall
- Voe Public Hall
- Whiteness and Weisdale Hall – open on request.
- RNLI Aith Lifeboat – open on request.
- Mossbank Public Hall – open on request.
Mr Macdonald added: “We recognise that although the community spirit is still strong across the islands, customers experiencing a prolonged loss of power will face new challenges each day.
“I’d continue to encourage customers to take advantage of the warm hubs set up in collaboration with Shetland Islands Council and our resilience partners and urge anyone who needs additional support to call us straight away on 105.”
Customers are entitled to claim up to £30 per person for every 24 hours they are without power.
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