SSE's mobile generator fitter Craig Duguid prepares equipment ahead of the storm
Energy giant SSE was last night getting ready to do battle with the looming storms.
The company will have 1,000 members of staff on duty from early this morning, ready to deal with any power cuts which occur across the Highlands and islands.
Some have been drafted in from the south of England, and local contractors have also been asked to assist.
A map of expected wind speeds across the UK at midday on Friday January 9
At SSE’s base in Inverness yesterday, Colin Pirie, the Highlands and islands’ customer operations manager, chaired a meeting with other senior staff to ensure that resources were in the right places.
A large white board in their meeting room was ready to be used to record the location of any power cuts and progress being made to restore supplies.
The contingency plans also include checking and fuelling around 100 generators at their Inverness office.
These will be distributed across the Highlands if needed.
Rodney Grubb, head of operations, said that the company’s yellow alert was significant,
He added: “This is an indication of how seriously we are taking this storm. We have mobilised colleagues to places where the storm is likely to cause the most havoc and possibly damage the electricity network.”
