Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution has submitted an application to the regulator Ofgem for £10m of dedicated funding, setting out five proposed projects to improve its storm response and the resilience of its electricity network. The submission was published on 7 February 20241.
Ofgem invited funding applications after a review of electricity networks' response to Storm Arwen in late 20211. SSEN said the £10m set of proposed projects would focus on making its network more resilient to severe weather and equipping it with more tools to restore supply after a storm1.
The five projects and their proposed amounts are:
| Project | Proposed funding |
|---|---|
| Restoring Overhead Line Resilience | £2.1m |
| HV Feeder monitoring | £6.7m |
| Wood Pole Condition Assessment tools | £1m |
| Satellite communication systems | £0.7m |
| Cross DNO interconnection | £0.1m |
The largest item, HV Feeder monitoring at £6.7m, would install new monitoring devices on SSEN's High Voltage and Extra High Voltage networks to locate faults more accurately, reducing the time staff spend walking the network to find a fault1. Restoring Overhead Line Resilience (£2.1m) addresses the risk to overhead lines in the north of Scotland, where the network was affected by trees blown over during Storm Arwen, through more tree-harvesting work at certain sites1. Wood Pole Condition Assessment tools (£1m) would roll out smart tools to assess the condition of wooden poles, including checks before staff climb them1.
Satellite communication systems (£0.7m) would pilot direct satellite connections to provide more robust communications in remote areas where mobile phone masts can be affected during storms; SSEN said this might also support customers' welfare by providing those without power a connection to keep in touch with family and friends1. Cross DNO interconnection (£0.1m) would install points of connection between SSEN's network and SP Energy Networks' licence area at remote sites close to the border, so that if one side loses supply during a storm, customers can be kept on supply from across the network boundary1.
"SSEN's £10m set of proposed projects will focus on making our network more resilient to severe weather"
SSEN said it committed funding in the summer of 2022 to further strengthen network and community resilience, and that this money has already had a tangible benefit on the robustness of the network during extreme weather events1. It said some information in its main Storm Arwen re-opener document is commercially sensitive, confidential, or presents a security risk if published, and has been redacted1.
Why it matters for households
Storm Arwen left homes across Scotland and northern England without power, and the projects SSEN has proposed are aimed at the parts of the network that failed or proved slow to repair. Faster fault location and restoration, more resilient overhead lines and better communications for field teams all bear on how long a household is off supply after a severe weather event. The cross-border interconnection proposal is unusual in that it would keep customers on supply from a neighbouring network rather than restoring supply after a fault. The satellite pilot, if funded, could also give households without power a means of contact during an outage. The application is a proposal only: none of the projects is funded or under way on the basis of this submission. Households can check which network operator covers their area using our guide to who is my distribution network operator, and read more on SSEN's networks, storms and priority services and on power cuts in Scotland.
What happens next
The application now sits with Ofgem, which invited the funding applications following its review of the Storm Arwen response1. SSEN has not reported a decision date, and no outcome has been announced. The dedicated funding mechanism sits within the regulation and policy framework for network investment.