NIE Networks put its Emergency Response Plan into effect from 23 January 2025 in response to Storm Éowyn, and it remained in force until power was restored to all homes and businesses1. The plan is the network operator's standing procedure for severe weather, and its activation suspends normal activities and alerts partner organisations to the need for additional resources1.
Under the plan, NIE Networks directs all resources to Local Incident Centres in the areas affected by the severe weather1. For Storm Éowyn the company expanded its contact centre into a second location in Belfast to increase the number of calls it could receive from people who had lost power1. After the storm it brought 420 people from partner network companies in Europe, the UK and Ireland to Northern Ireland to help restore supplies2.
"We have an Emergency Response Plan which comes into effect when weather forecasts indicate that severe weather is likely. It suspends all normal activities and alerts us and our partner organisations of the need to provide additional resources."
The company's licence defines a severe weather event as one where the number of high-voltage faults is 13 times higher than the daily average2. Storm Éowyn went over that threshold, so it is classified as a severe weather event and the normal guaranteed standards for restoration times do not apply, meaning compensation cannot be claimed for it2. NIE Networks told the Utility Regulator that the storm met the threshold and that it was exempt from normal standards of service because it was not reasonably possible to restore supplies within the specified timescale2. Since 2023, network companies in England, Scotland and Wales have operated a severe-weather compensation scheme, paid for by electricity customers2.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Properties connected to the NIE Networks network | 966,0002 |
| Properties on the Medical Customer Care Register | 27,0002 |
| Staff brought in from partner companies after Storm Éowyn | 4202 |
| High-voltage fault threshold for a severe weather event | 13 times the daily average2 |
NIE Networks states that it will not provide a generator for a property during severe weather events, including for households on its Medical Customer Care Register2. The register is an information and prioritisation service rather than a supply of backup power2. The company also says it cannot pay to cover freezer contents, and directs customers to their home insurance provider2. It advises that a refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if the door is kept closed, and that a full freezer will hold temperature for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if half-full2.
Why it matters for households
The activation of an Emergency Response Plan is a signal that a network expects damage across its area rather than isolated faults. For a household, the practical effect is that normal restoration timescales and the compensation that attaches to them are set aside, and that information about when power will return may be less precise than usual. NIE Networks says it provides those who have lost power with the most accurate information it has so they can plan for the period they expect to be without power2.
The company's stated priorities in a severe weather event are public safety first, then information, then restoration, with crews sent first to damage affecting critical national infrastructure such as hospitals, airports and water pumping and treatment sites2. Households on the Medical Customer Care Register can have their supply prioritised, but the register does not include a generator2. For a home's energy independence, the storm response illustrates the difference between a network's obligations and a household's own arrangements: the network restores supply, while protection of equipment such as computers, televisions, alarm systems and heating time clocks during voltage fluctuations is a matter for the property, and NIE Networks notes that an Uninterruptible Power Supply or similar device can protect such equipment2. Installations, appliances, fuse boards and wiring should comply with BS 7671, and any alterations should be made by an electrical contractor who is a member of a recognised regulatory body2.
What happens next
The Emergency Response Plan was in effect from 23 January 2025 until power was restored to all homes and businesses1. NIE Networks has not reported a closing date for the storm's restoration work beyond that statement. Households that suffered loss or damage can ask NIE Networks for a letter confirming their property was without power to support an insurance claim, and the company directs those without cover, or whose insurer declines, to independent advice providers such as Advice NI or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland2.