Electricity network operator launches review after Storm Arwen disruption

The electricity network operator for the region, Stockport-based Electricity North West, has launched a review following widespread disruption to power supply following Storm Arwen at the end of November.

The category 2 storm, which affected the UK on Friday 26th November 2021 caused extensive damage to the electricity network, particularly in rural areas that were affected by snow drifts and fallen trees after wind speeds exceeded 65 mph.

The storm saw over 1 million people nationwide affected by power cuts, including 100,000 in the North West, with work in the region to repair all the damage caused by Storm Arwen not complete until 4th December.

In response to the disruption, Electricity North West is looking to work more closely with communities to understand their power needs and reduce future impact of severe weather events.

Electricity North West Customer Director, Steph Trubshaw, said:

“We were amazed by the level of community support shown when Storm Arwen battered the country at the end of last month. We want to continue to work with these communities and incredible organisations, many of whom are voluntary, to understand what we can do to help in future.

“Being without power for a long period is incredibly difficult and while our engineers did all they could battling conditions day after day, it was these local community hubs and organisations that were critical to keeping local people going in the areas hardest hit. The town halls, churches and other community buildings and centres played a crucial role in the incident response and we want to make sure that we continue to support them.”

The Stockport-based network operator is looking to detail specific plans for support in the new year, and one option being considered to better support communities is the creation of a fund that can support local people in the event of future disruptions. Steph Trubshaw added:

“We think that our support could extend to a local community fund to which organisations can apply for resources to support communities in such events if they happen again. We want to hear from these groups and individuals to learn what would be most valuable to them so that we can develop the fund to deliver the right help in the right locations.”

The local community fund would add to the payments available to customers affected by severe outages and set by Ofgem. Anyone in the North West without power for 48 hours due to Storm Arwen can claim £70 compensation, plus a further £70 for each additional 12-hour period without power.

Electricity North West will reach out to anyone it worked with through the Local Resilience Forums to deliver its review, with results to be published in 2022.