Over the weekend I have been in touch with SSEN as it attempts to reconnect people locally, significant numbers especially in south Wiltshire still being without power. I have also spoken with engineers and volunteers on the ground. Last night I received this email from SSEN which is helpful;
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2022 6:35 PM
To: MURRISON, Andrew
Subject: RE: Mere BA12
Dear Dr Murrison,
I’m very sorry to hear that some of your constituents are still without power. As you will know, Storm Eunice brought wind speeds in excess of 70-80mph and was the most severe storm we have experienced in the south of England for decades. Unfortunately this has resulted in 1,000 points of damage across our license area, caused by uprooted trees and other windborne debris hitting overhead lines. The impact has been particularly significant in rural areas.
Thank you for the information you have provided about Mere and Kilmington which I have escalated internally. The restoration time you refer to below has been set to give customers the best possible information to allow them to make alternative arrangements where possible, and recognising the frustration from customers if estimated restoration times are set and then repeatedly extended. However, we are committed to adjusting times for individual faults as soon as we have better and more precise information from our engineers on the ground.
We have also just announced details of enhanced welfare provision including:
- Accommodation support - we encourage customers concerned about an extended power cut to make alternative arrangements to stay with family or friends but recognise this may not be an option for all. Where this is the case and a customer has been without power since Friday and their Estimated Time of Restoration is later than Sunday evening, we are offering to reimburse all reasonable costs for arranging alternative accommodation.
- Meals - we are placing welfare vans in communities most affected by Storm Eunice offering free hot food and drink. These mobile units will move from location to location as power is restored and current locations are being regularly communicated via our website, social media and by local radio.
- Similarly, for these customers who have been without power since Friday, if you do not live in proximity of these vans or need to remain in your home due to circumstances such as mobility or COVID-19, we are offering to reimburse reasonable costs for an evening meal or takeaway, up to the value of £15 per person and up to a maximum of £60 per household.
- Reimbursement – eligible customers should book the accommodation and meals directly and retain all receipts which should then be sent to SSEN for reimbursement via the following link - https://tinyurl.com/EuniceClaim. All claims will be processed for reimbursement promptly once full restoration has taken place.
We ask any customer in a vulnerable situation who may find it difficult to organise this for themselves to contact us so that we can look to support them on a case-by-case basis.
Separate to the enhanced welfare offering above, we recognise that customers may have questions regarding compensation, which is governed by Guaranteed Standards of Service set by our regulator, Ofgem. Customers will be eligible for compensation under Guaranteed Standards if they have been without power for over 48hrs, where they will be eligible for a payment of £70. A further £70 will be due for each additional period of 12 hours in which supply is not restored, up to a cap of £700.
I would like to reassure you that all our resources are focused on the restoration effort and there is a huge effort underway with engineers working into the night to restore power to all of our customers as quickly and safely as possible. We have brought in additional resources to support the restoration effort, including 400 additional lines people and tree cutters and teams travelling down from our north of Scotland licence area.
If you would like to discuss any of this further then please don’t hesitate to contact us.