Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) staff will be working hard throughout the Christmas period to keep the lights on for households and businesses across the Isle of Wight.
Christmas is one of the most important times of the year for many of SSEN’s customers. Staff reschedule their own Christmases to make sure the electricity network runs smoothly, so everyone else can relax and enjoy the festive period.
The UK’s electricity networks are amongst the most reliable in the world, with a steady reduction in the number and duration of power cuts over the last 20 years. SSEN’s rolling programme of investment means the network is resilient, but extreme winter weather including high winds, heavy snow, thunderstorms and lightning have the potential to cause damage to equipment and disrupt supplies.
Jo Harvey, an Operational Team Leader for SSEN, is one of the staff members on duty this Christmas. He says:
“Throughout the festive season, I’ll be working with my team of engineers and operational field staff to make sure our Isle of Wight network delivers the electricity our customers need for a warm, safe and happy Christmas.
“We have over 141,500 customers living and working on the Isle of Wight and they rightly expect a safe and reliable supply of electricity all year round, and especially during the festive season. We will be working over Christmas to be able to respond to and identify any issues, and give our customers peace of mind.
“We understand how important Christmas is to so many of our customers. That’s why my team and I are rescheduling our holidays, keeping the turkey in the freezer a little longer and planning our festivities for the start of the new year. We’ll be working on shifts throughout the holidays to make sure the right people are available 24 hours a day to keep the power flowing.
“Across our Isle of Wight infrastructure, we have to contend with birds, trees and weather than can sometimes cause unplanned power cuts. All year round we are ready to climb poles, repair cables and replace transformers to get you safely back on supply as soon as possible. Christmas Day is no different and along with my team, we’ll be quietly working in the background to help you enjoy this special time of the year.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am proud to play a part in supporting the delivery of an essential service that warms the island’s homes, cooks our Christmas dinners, powers up those new toys delivered by Santa Claus and lets us charge the tablets and phones we use to contact our loved ones.
“On behalf of all my team, I would like to wish everyone on the Isle of Wight a Merry Christmas.”
Jasmin Myhill, SSEN’s Customer Relationship Manager for the Isle of Wight, will also be on duty. Jasmin says:
“I will be working with Jo to power the island’s Christmas. If any faults do occur it’s my job to support our customers, provide the care, and target assistance where it is required.
“As providers of essential services we have worked throughout the year during lockdowns and in adherence with government guidelines on coronavirus. A resilient supply of electricity has been so important this year, and we are ready to respond to ensure people are able to enjoy this festive period after a difficult year.
“Working virtually with the council and local resilience groups, we have prepared for periods of unsettled weather or faults to ensure in the unlikely event that anything happens, we are ready to respond quickly and safely. If any of our customers are concerned or may need extra support during a fault we offer a free Priority Services Register to sign up to, which allows us to tailor support according to customer need. Information is available at www.ssen.co.uk/psr. You can help us as well. If you spot any damage to our network give us a call on 105 and we will send an engineer to investigate.
“I’d love to say that I’ll be there personally for each and every one of our customers in the event of a power cut, but even Santa Claus needs his elves to help out, so during this year, I’ve been helping to train other Customer and Community Advisors and Customer Community Volunteers. That way we can make sure the Isle of Wight has a team of professional people who can help bring reassurance, assistance and welfare to those who need it most during adverse weather events or power cuts.
“I hope you have a fabulous festive season and please don’t be offended if I say I hope I don’t see you during this time; it just means that our network is operating exactly the way we’ve planned and is keeping the power flowing for all of our customers across the Isle of Wight this Christmas.”
