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Shetland’s power fully restored after almost a week in the darkness

The final 118 homes in Shetland have had their power restored - nearly a week after heavy snow brought down the lines. Image: Brian Chittick/SSEN
The final 118 homes in Shetland have had their power restored - nearly a week after heavy snow brought down the lines. Image: Brian Chittick/SSEN

Engineers have now restored power to all homes in Shetland.

The final 118 homes were reconnected earlier today – nearly a week after heavy snow brought down the lines, leaving 5,289 homes cut off and with no heat.

SSEN drafted in extra engineers to get the power back up and running, and the final homes in Vementry, Grobsness, Brechin and Watsness were reconnected this afternoon.

Work will continue to make permanent repairs to bring the network to full operation and prevent further power cuts.

SSEN has warned this may require “temporary planned disconnections” for brief spells, but customers will be notified in advance.

Mark Macdonald, head of region at SSEN Distribution, said: “On behalf of everyone at SSEN, I’d like to thank customers and communities for their patience as our teams battled to restore supplies and assist the welfare effort.

“We recognise it was a difficult time for many, and this helped drive our teams to restore power as quickly as possible.

““The scale of ice-loading on our network from Monday’s storm brought comparisons of when the ‘Big Snaa’ hit Shetland in 1995, with many of our teams and residents saying the scale of damage this time was even worse.

“I’m immensely proud of the teams for their dedication and commitment in overcoming significant engineering challenges and getting the job done.”

SSEN worker trying to restore power in Bixter, Shetland
Engineers battled the snow and freezing temperatures to get the power restored. Image: SSEN

‘Very tough conditions’

Mr Macdonald also applauded the Shetland community for their response to the outage.

“It’s clear that the sense of community in Shetland is very special, with local groups coming together to provide welfare where it was needed and help keep people warm and fed.

“We’re also very grateful to residents who have taken the time to thank our line crews and welfare support teams and also to the businesses and community volunteers who gave up their own time to help feed our teams. This lifted spirits during some very tough conditions.”

Resilience Minister Keith Brown, who visited Shetland late last week, thanked the the 160-strong team of engineers for their efforts and praised everyone for rallying together to keep those impacted warm and fed.

He said: “The exceptional weather conditions in parts of Shetland led to complex damage to the power network which was very challenging to restore.

“I want to extend my sincere thanks to all our partners for the vital roles they have played in the recovery effort. From the hundreds of SSEN engineers, and supporting companies, SP Energy Networks, Northern Power Grid and BT, working round the clock to get people reconnected, to Police Scotland, Shetland Islands Council and local resilience partnerships who provided essential advice and welfare support to those affected.

“In particular, the local communities which stepped up to support those around them, providing shelter, warm spaces and hot food cannot be commended highly enough.

“It was remarkable to see first-hand, the incredible response from residents, businesses and partners across Shetland in very difficult circumstances.”

About 160 engineers have been working since Monday to restore the power on Shetland. Image: SSEN.

‘Exceptionally challenging time’

Chief Inspector Stuart Clemenson said: “The last week has been an exceptionally challenging time for the island and there has been a phenomenal response from partners and the community.

“I would like to thank our communities for looking after each other and following the guidance to stay safe.

“Support for those who need it within our communities will continue.”

Emma Macdonald, leader of Shetland Islands Council added: “I’d like to thank everyone in our community who has worked so hard this week to support one another during such a challenging time.

“There have been so many acts of kindness shown from people across Shetland, caring for neighbours and local residents, and to support the efforts of those working to restore power supplies.

“Thanks too to Council staff and those in NHS Shetland and other local emergency services partners who have worked tirelessly to coordinate and deliver services, and to protect those most in need.

“The efforts of the whole community to respond to this emergency have been incredible.”

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