Lessons to be learned from storm response
HANNAH GRAHAM on the questions that must be answered about the impact of Storm Arwen
THE government has pledged to ensure “lessons will be learned” from the disaster which left thousands in the North East without power for over a week.
Power has now finally been restored to families across County Durham, Northumberland and Gateshead, although some are still reliant on generators after the end of November’s storm.
And last week, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy launched its review into how energy network operators responded as the lights went off.
Assessing the impact of the storm on electricity networks, the review will attempt to find out where infrastructure improvements are needed.
Meanwhile, the communications strategies of the likes of Northern Powergrid will be examined. Many who were left without power by the storm slammed the “appalling communication” from the Distribution Network Operator, criticising the frequent changes to expected repair dates for some customers.
The review will assess the “timeliness and content of public communication” and staff resourcing strategies; as well as the support offered to vulnerable customers and how compensation was provided.
Carried out by the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee, the review will also be tasked with examining how effective Network Operators were at sharing support resources, such as engineers, during such a prolonged event, as well as the role played by Local Resilience Forums.
It is set to produce “recommendations and lessons for the future” as well as a plan for how those recommendations will be put in place.
Energy regulator Ofgem is conducting its own investigation alongside the government probe.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “I’m extremely grateful to the thousands of engineers, volunteers, Armed Forces personnel and emergency responders who worked tirelessly to get nearly one million people reconnected to power. They did so with unbelievable professionalism in the face of one of the most extreme weather events in recent years.
“While I’m pleased all affected customers are now back online, it is completely unacceptable so many were left without power for so long. There is an urgent need to identify and resolve a number of issues which came to light during the Storm Arwen response, and the review I’ve commissioned, alongside Ofgem’s, will ensure any failings are addressed.”
On a visit to Northern Powergrid’s headquarters during the disaster, the Business Secretary warned of possible “enforcement action” if it’s found that companies didn’t do enough to prevent the widespread powercuts.
The review is focused on the work of Distribution Network Operators and Transmission System Operators, and won’t look into the response by the Government, which Dr Kwarteng defended in an interview with the Journal, saying ministers had been “methodical and systematic” and praising the actions of local MPs.
The outcome of the Department’s review will be published by March 31, while an “interim report” is set to be available within eight weeks.