Tens of thousands of households across Scotland who were without power after Storm Arwen are receiving additional compensation from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
The extreme conditions, dubbed the “once in a generation” weather event on Friday November 26th, affected 135,000 SSEN customers, mostly in north-east Scotland, with the last homes not being reconnected until nine days later. The company will add a goodwill payment of 20 percent to the statutory compensation values set by the energy regulator Ofgem.
A £ 700 compensation cap was lifted last week, allowing those affected to claim £ 70 for every 12 hour period they are left without power, up from an initial £ 70 for the first 48 hours.
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According to SSEN, the 20% improvement will give customers up to £ 210 extra depending on how long they have been without power.
This, when combined with the lifting of the £ 700 limit on payments, adds up to a total of £ 560 for those who were most recently reconnected.
Chris Burchell, Managing Director of SSEN said, “The intensity and impact of Storm Arwen presented SSEN with many challenges, but I understand that the challenges facing the communities we serve are even greater.
“I want to thank customers for their patience while our teams have worked tirelessly to restore power, as well as the support we have received from our community partners to help keep our customers most in need.
“We understand that this is an exceptional situation and we are increasing the goodwill appropriately and proportionally to the standard compensation for customers in order to support those most affected.
“This 20% increase is paid automatically and when combined with the lifting of the payment cap for those who are reconnected last, results in an additional payment of £ 560.”
The company also announced that it will add an additional £ 500,000 to the SSEN Resilient Communities Fund in 2022 to support additional community resilience projects in Northern Scotland.
SSEN said payments will be made to as many customers as possible before Christmas, with priority given to those most affected.
It also processes reimbursements to customers for reasonable hotel accommodation and subsistence costs, asking affected customers to submit claims with receipts to Storm.Payments@ssen.co.uk.
The local authorities welcomed the announcement of the additional support.
Jim Savage, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aberdeenshire Council, said, “This announcement from SSEN has been hugely welcomed at the community and individual levels.
“The effects of Storm Arwen will get many people in trouble and I hope this announcement makes a difference and makes them resilient in the future.”
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Mark Salmond, congregation convener for the Angus Council said, “Storm Arwen has had a profound impact on many families and communities.
“I would like to thank the amazing efforts of the local communities, city council teams, partners and engineers who have worked day and night in extremely difficult conditions and in extremely difficult terrain to get homes and businesses back on track.”
Ofgem has initiated a review of utility company response to Storm Arwen.
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