Storm Eowyn has been and gone, but thousands of people are still without power and Network Plus arborists and overhead linespeople (OHL) are on the frontline of the response across Britain and Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland experienced ‘unprecedented’ damage, and more than 100,000 households and businesses there are still without electricity. In Scotland, where the clean-up could take all year, fewer than 2,000 customers are now without power – thanks in part to the gargantuan efforts of Network Plus employees.

60 OHL colleagues from our SPEN contract in Wales – with dedicated leadership and support from Matt Woodfine and Luke Evans – travelled to central Scotland to support the recovery work and will remain there until Sunday. A further 35 were deployed within UK Power Networks from Thursday 23 January to Tuesday this week, operating across low voltage (LV) to 33kV faults in extremely challenging conditions, at all hours, to restore supply. 30 operatives are also heading to Northern Ireland, where around 16,000 homes are still without power.

40 arborists were mobilised to Scotland and 23 to the Irish republic, supporting ScottishPower and ESB respectively, while operatives were also on stand-by for National Highways.
Storm Eowyn has been and gone, but thousands of people are still without power and Network Plus arborists and overhead linespeople (OHL) are on the frontline of the response across Britain and Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland experienced ‘unprecedented’ damage, and more than 100,000 households and businesses there are still without electricity. In Scotland, where the clean-up could take all year, fewer than 2,000 customers are now without power – thanks in part to the gargantuan efforts of Network Plus employees.

60 OHL colleagues from our SPEN contract in Wales – with dedicated leadership and support from Matt Woodfine and Luke Evans – travelled to central Scotland to support the recovery work and will remain there until Sunday. A further 35 were deployed within UK Power Networks from Thursday 23 January to Tuesday this week, operating across low voltage (LV) to 33kV faults in extremely challenging conditions, at all hours, to restore supply. 30 operatives are also heading to Northern Ireland, where around 16,000 homes are still without power.

40 arborists were mobilised to Scotland and 23 to the Irish republic, supporting ScottishPower and ESB respectively, while operatives were also on stand-by for National Highways.

Behind the scenes, back office staff have worked wonders in tackling a challenging logistical operation, including rapid deployments, stand-by operations, and hotel and ferry bookings.

“I’m very proud of the way our teams, from the frontline to the back office, have stepped up to the challenge,” says Network Plus CEO Kevin Fowlie. “Our people live and breathe our organisational values – agile, responsive, customer-focused and safety-conscious – and they are a credit to the business. Our agility and ability has been recognised at the highest levels of government.”

“We have had four storms since November where the team above have supported UKPN,” adds Operations Director Carl Dixon. “Their dedication in going above and beyond to restore power supplies at such critical times has been immense, and I am grateful to be leading such a fantastic team. I’m especially grateful to Sean Goonan, Aaron Collins and Rebecca Flitton.”

For now, it’s a case of the calm after the storm. But for how long?

The Met Office’s three-month summary outlook states that there is a ‘greater risk’ of several storms arriving over a short space of time, with potentially greater impact than isolated events.
Behind the scenes, back office staff have worked wonders in tackling a challenging logistical operation, including rapid deployments, stand-by operations, and hotel and ferry bookings.

“I’m very proud of the way our teams, from the frontline to the back office, have stepped up to the challenge,” says Network Plus CEO Kevin Fowlie. “Our people live and breathe our organisational values – agile, responsive, customer-focused and safety-conscious – and they are a credit to the business. Our agility and ability has been recognised at the highest levels of government.”

“We have had four storms since November where the team above have supported UKPN,” adds Operations Director Carl Dixon. “Their dedication in going above and beyond to restore power supplies at such critical times has been immense, and I am grateful to be leading such a fantastic team. I’m especially grateful to Sean Goonan, Aaron Collins and Rebecca Flitton.”

For now, it’s a case of the calm after the storm. But for how long?

The Met Office’s three-month summary outlook states that there is a ‘greater risk’ of several storms arriving over a short space of time, with potentially greater impact than isolated events.