Power has been restored to hundreds of homes in Scotland as engineers are making “significant progress” in battling outages caused by the weather.
Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have reconnected about 750 homes and businesses in parts of western mainland Shetland, Voe and Brae, on Thursday.
A “major incident” was declared on Shetland earlier this week as snow and ice accumulated on overhead power lines, causing them to break and leaving thousands without electricity as temperatures plummeted.
Currently about 1,700 properties remain without power in the area but SSEN said helicopter surveys and foot patrols have provided engineers with a clear picture of the extent of the damage.
Mark Macdonald, head of region at SSEN Distribution, said: “I’d like to thank customers for their ongoing patience and reassure them that we’re making every effort to restore supplies as soon as possible and provide support to those who need it.
“Armies of engineers have descended upon Shetland over the past 48 hours to restore power to homes and businesses across the islands, and more are on their way. We’ve made significant progress today in continued challenging conditions, reconnecting 750 homes across the islands.
“Alongside an improvement in weather conditions and thanks to the incredible support from Shetland Islands Council and our resilience partners, the severe access issues we faced earlier today have eased. This has enabled our teams to have a clearer picture of the significant damage to our network and make good progress in restoring power to our customers.
“We recognise that each day brings new challenges for communities. I’d continue to urge anyone who has any concerns for themselves or others to give our teams a call on 105. I’d also like to remind customers of the welfare locations available, where hot drinks, food and a warm space are combined with an exceptionally strong community spirit.”
Everyone is mucking in and helping each other, from making food and keeping each others spirits up, to checking on vulnerable members of the community. It really is quite extraordinary— Keith Brown, resilience minister
SSEN said it is expecting to continue making progress over the next 48 hours and is targeting the restoration of the large majority of supplies by Sunday, but added some properties, particularly west of Bixter, will not have power restored until early next week due to access issues and the extent of the damage.
It comes after Scottish Government Justice Secretary Keith Brown was in Shetland on Thursday to chair a resilience meeting with members of the community and energy firm bosses.
He attended Bixter Community Hall to talk to residents, representatives from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and Police Scotland teams, before chairing a further meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room.
Mr Brown, who is also minister for resilience, said: “The situation in the west of Shetland remains extremely difficult for many people and businesses without power.
“There has been a fantastic community and cross-partner response. I met a range of residents at Bixter Hall today and what has struck me most is the huge team effort at play in a set of very difficult circumstances.
“Everyone is mucking in and helping each other, from making food and keeping each others spirits up, to checking on vulnerable members of the community. It really is quite extraordinary.”
He added: “Shetland Islands Council is caring for vulnerable people in care homes and hospital and is contacting those with medical needs.
“Police Scotland advice remains to stay at home, find ways to stay warm and listen to local radio or follow social media for updates. The Scottish Government will continue to do what it can to assist partners in resolving the situation as quickly as possible.”
