10 thoughts on “The Great Storm Henry Blackout Saga”

1. SHEPD have been good enough to inform me via Twitter that they are now officially on “Red Alert“:

   Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) moves to Red Alert status as Storm Henry threatens to cause disruption across much of Scotland.

   With gale force winds of more than 90 mph expected across the Western Isles, North West Highlands, Skye and Argyll, SHEPD has deployed an additional 200 engineering and technical staff across areas most likely to be affected by the extreme weather.

   As well as strong winds, high sea swells are expected to cause flooding along coastal roads in these areas. As a precautionary measure, SHEPD has moved resources and engineers to islands that could be cut off if ferry sailings are cancelled.

   Additional advisors are on duty in our customer services centre, and welfare teams have been contacting vulnerable customers to see if they need extra assistance if there were to be a power cut. Other parts of SHEPD’s network area are likely to experience winds of around 80 mph through Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

   Here’s the current GFS wind forecast for the UK at 13:00 UTC, courtesy of MeteoCiel:

   

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2. SSEPD have released a couple of videos about their preparations for Henry’s imminent arrival:

   Preparing for Storm Henry from SSEPD on Vimeo.

   Engineers being deployed from SSEPD on Vimeo.

   They have also announced that:

   We’ve moved some resources and engineers to islands that could be cut off if ferry sailings are cancelled.

   Their power cut map seems to filling up, but I’ve currently got no idea how many of their customers are currently without power:

   

   According to GridWatch UK, wind turbines are currently generating 5 GW, almost 12% of the UK’s current electricity demand:

   

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3. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks for short) have now issed a press release:

   Following the severe weather forecast for severe gales with gusts of 70mph this afternoon and evening, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks) has warned of a possibility of damage to the electricity network, especially in exposed and coastal locations.

   NIE Networks has initiated an escalation plan and has emergency crews, engineers and call handlers on stand-by.

   We would like to remind customers that if they do lose electricity supplies they should report a fault online or call the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Customers can also follow us on Twitter @NIElectricity for regular updates.

   Julia Carson, NIE Networks Communications Manager, says: “The forecast for Storm Henry is similar to the weather we experienced last Friday, once again focusing on the west, north and north east of the country. If there is any damage to our network from severe weather, we are prepared and in position to get customers back on supply as quickly as humanly possible, consistent with safety, and to keep our customers regularly updated and informed.

   “We are particularly keen to stress our regular safety message that on no account should anyone ever approach a broken pole or electricity line. Keep away and report the damage immediately to NIE Networks on 03457 643 643.”

   Further updates will be issued as the weather front progresses.

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4. As Storm Henry draws ever closer, here’s the surface level pressure chart for 18:00 this evening:

   

   Note the hurricane force winds. Here also is SHEPD’s current power cut map:

   

   plus the current state of the largest UK electricity generators:

   

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5. The morning after the night before, here’s how SHEPD’s power cut map looks:

   

   They report on their web site that:

   We have restored power to 9,000 customers since the start of Storm Henry.
   Currently 2,000 customers remain off power. Our engineers are continuing to work hard to resore their supply.

   and provide this video update on overnight events:

   This morning wind turbines are generating 14.5% of the nations electricity:

   

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6. SHEPD have published their own wind forecast for lunchtime today, as Strom Henry heads for Scandinavia:

   

   They add that:

   Storm Henry’s gale force winds are starting to reduce. While wind speeds remain high we expect them to weaken during the day.

   Our engineers will continue to work throughout the day to restore supplies to the properties impacted by Storm Henry.

   We have deployed welfare vans to areas impacted by Storm Henry.

   We have vans at Kinlochard Village Hall serving food and drinks and another at Elgol Village Hall, Skye.

   We will provide further updates on locations once they become available.

   

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7. SHEPD have just informed me that there was a misprint in my previous comment:

   The up to date details for all welfare are as follows:

   • Kirkton of Glenisla – Glenisla Hotel
   • Isle of Raasay – Raasay House Hotel
   • Elgol – Catering van set up outside Elgol Village Hall

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8. SHEPD have reported via Twitter that:

   We’ve downgraded our operational status from Red to Yellow Alert as weather conditions improve across Scotland.

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9. Our BT broadband connection is down at the moment. Maybe it’s Storm Henry’s fault?! The line’s OK, because if I call BT Support I can hear a canned message that tells me “The telephone network is busy. Please try again later. You have not been charged for this call”. That’s nice of them, since I dialled an 0800 number! Via a somewhat sluggish backup connection, here’s the latest Storm Henry news.

   SHEPD issued another press release some time ago, which read:

   Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution has downgraded its operational status from red to yellow alert as weather conditions begin to improve across Scotland.

   Since this morning SHEPD has restored supplies to 10,500 customers. The number of customers without power across our entire operating area currently stands at 1500, and we are aiming have their supply restored today.

   SHEPD would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding over the past few days, as two storms, Gertrude and Henry, swept across our operating area, disrupting power supplies.

   Here’s some more videos from SHEPD about their recent power restoration activities:

   and here’s the current UK electricity generation mix:

   

   P.S. It seems we’re not the only ones who’ve had BT broadband issues today:

   http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/02/bt-broadband-phone-network-down-uk-areas-birmingham-london-sheffield

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10. As Storm Henry fades into the distance, here’s the very latest “Tweet” from Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution:

    Thank you to everyone who showed their support while we restored supplies to 14,600 properties during #StormHenry pic.twitter.com/PisIyS7OeB

    — hydroPD (@hydroPD) February 3, 2016

    The UK branch of Danish company Dong energy have just announced that:

    DONG Energy will build the giant Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm, capable of powering well over 1 million UK homes, off the Yorkshire coast after taking a final investment decision today.

    With a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW), Hornsea Project One will be the world’s first offshore wind farm to exceed 1 GW in capacity and will become – by a considerable margin – the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

    Here’s the UK’s current generation mix (excluding lots of solar PV!):

    

    By the way, here’s the United States’ National Weather Service’s Ocean Prediction Center’s North Atlantic surface level pressure forecast for the coming weekend:

    

    Is #StormImogen already brewing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as we speak?

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