Backup Power news from 2023
18 stories, newest first
- December 2023
SSEN offers £30 per person per day compensation during Storm Gerrit outages
SSEN Distribution has confirmed that customers left without power for more than 12 hours by Storm Gerrit can claim £30 per person per day for food and drink, as around 16,000 properties remained off supply.
Storm Gerrit damages SSEN network in north of Scotland
Storm Gerrit damaged SSEN's network across the north of Scotland on 27 December 2023, leaving just over 16,000 properties off supply by 9.45pm and some rural homes without power until Friday.
SSEN Distribution moves to Weather Warning status ahead of forecast high winds
SSEN Distribution moved to Weather Warning status on 18 December 2023 ahead of strong winds forecast across northern Scotland, activating contingency plans and additional teams.
- November 2023
SSEN restores power to almost 25,000 customers after Storm Ciarán
SSEN restored power to almost 25,000 customers in central southern England after Storm Ciarán, with around 2,000 still off supply at noon on 2 November 2023 and the network at Yellow Alert.
- October 2023
SSEN restores power to 37,000 customers after Storm Babet
SSEN has restored power to 37,000 customers after Storm Babet, fixing more than 450 faults, but around 150 flooded properties in Brechin cannot yet be reconnected safely.
- September 2023
Coventry high-rise fire linked to UPP battery
A Coventry high-rise fire in September 2023 has been linked to a UPP e-bike battery that government withdrew from sale, as safety charity Electrical Safety First continues to find listings online.
- July 2023
Jackery launches Solar Generator 2000 Plus in the UK
Jackery has launched the Solar Generator 2000 Plus in the UK, a portable power station with an LFP battery, 3,000W output and capacity that can be expanded with add-on battery packs.
- June 2023
SSEN cancels planned outages in north of Scotland ahead of lightning risk
SSEN Distribution cancelled all major planned outages across the north of Scotland on 12 June 2023 as a precaution against forecast lightning, and put additional teams in place to handle faults.
- May 2023
Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem consultation on Severe Weather Compensation amendments
Citizens Advice has backed Ofgem's proposed changes to severe weather compensation rules for power cuts, but says the draft should go further on who is protected and how payments are made.
- March 2023
SSEN restores power to central southern England network after high winds
SSEN restored power to around 8,500 customers across central southern England after high winds, with engineers working into the evening on the remaining handful of properties.
SSEN weather warning for central southern England
SSEN's weather model showed strong winds with coastal gusts of 60mph across central southern England on Monday 13 March, prompting the network operator to increase standby resources and contact priority customers.
- February 2023
SSEN restores supplies to over 41,000 properties after Storm Otto with around 2,500 still off supply
SSEN restored power to more than 41,000 properties by 10am on 18 February after Storm Otto, with around 2,500 still off supply and 750 staff deployed across Aberdeenshire.
Jackery launches Solar Generator 1500 Pro in the UK
Jackery has put its Solar Generator 1500 Pro on sale in the UK, pairing a 1,512 Wh Explorer 1500 Pro power station with a 200W SolarSaga panel at £1,499 or £2,099 as a bundle.
SSEN moves to Weather Warning status in the north of Scotland
SSEN Distribution has moved to Weather Warning status in northern Scotland ahead of severe gales forecast from Wednesday afternoon, with extra resources sent to key locations.
SSEN reports 16,000 properties off supply due to Storm Otto
SSEN restored power to more than 27,000 properties after Storm Otto but around 16,000 remained off supply at 4.30pm, with some rural customers facing more than 48 hours without electricity.
Storm Otto impacts SSEN high voltage network in north of Scotland
Storm Otto brought 85mph gusts to northern Scotland from around 4am on 7 February 2023, cutting power to 30,000 properties on SSEN's high voltage network and leaving some rural homes off supply for more than 48 hours.
- January 2023
SSEN commits additional £3.5 million for Storm Arwen affected communities
SSEN Distribution has committed an additional £3.5 million for communities worst hit by Storm Arwen, covering local authority funding, its Resilient Communities Fund and network investment in north east Scotland.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandWhere Our Energy Comes From
Severe-weather compensation scheme in place in Great Britain
Electricity network companies in England, Scotland and Wales have operated a severe-weather compensation scheme since 2023, funded by electricity customers, as confirmed by NIE Networks.