5 Conclusion
57. The storms in December 2011and January 2012 left
many residents and businesses without electricity for several
days. Many of those residents relied on their electricity supply
for heating, lighting and cooking, and many of those businesses
were unable to function during the power cut.
58. While blackouts following severe weather incidents
can never be completely eliminated, one way that they can be minimised
is by ensuring that the grid is in a robust and well maintained
state before any such incidents occur. The increase in renewable
energy generation also offers opportunities for networks to be
less reliant on single vulnerable electricity lines to serve remote
communities. SSE and Scottish Power assure us they are continually
investing in the grid and that there has been a general improvement
in performance. We are, however, concerned that this is not the
experience of all communities in Scotland. We recommend that Ofgem
should monitor and publish data on the performance of DNOs at
a more detailed geographic level. This would help ensure that
problems disproportionately affecting smaller communities are
exposed and addressed at an early stage and help close the gap
between reported performance and the experience of local communities.
59. It is also important that a contingency plan
is established and practised regularly to minimise the disruption
to customers across all communities when an interruption to power
supplies occurs. More reliable means of communicating with the
wider community and identifying vulnerable individuals need to
be explored to ensure that help is deployed quickly to those that
need it the most.
60. One of the key protections for electricity customers
is the Guaranteed Standards. These standards not only provide
some compensation for consumers who experience interruptions to
their supply but also act as an incentive to DNOs to ensure a
high level of service. We do not believe that the value of compensation
currently offered and conditions under which it applies are adequate
to fulfil these functions.
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