SP Energy Networks (SPEN) is offering an additional refund of £150 to the around 8,000 domestic customers in its license areas that have been left without power for more than 48 hours following Storm Arwen.
The distribution network operator said the amount is more than the average annual cost of its services and will be paid to eligible households by the end of this year.
“We are incredibly grateful to our customers for their patience as our engineers worked tirelessly to make repairs safely amid some continuing challenging weather conditions, but we also appreciate the worry and uncertainty over the length of time without power has brought to some customers,” said SPEN chief executive Frank Mitchell.
“We apologise again to everyone affected by the damage to the power network caused by the storm. The devastation right across the communities we serve from Fife, Lothian & Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Cheshire, North & Mid Wales from north easterly wind speeds of up to 97mph, was far greater than we have seen for at least 25 years.”
He continued: “Our full resources were deployed to make repairs, with a team with a team of 1,000 staff involved in emergency action and direct field response, also supported by our customer service teams managing calls and customers in our service centres.
“Our engineers have worked daily from first light until the small hours to make repairs as quickly and as safely as they could, and I’m hugely proud of their efforts.
“While our early storm response was hampered by road access due to fallen trees and significant storm debris, we’ve had boots on the ground across our operating area endeavouring to get customers back on supply as quickly and as safely as possible.
“I hope our customers can accept this additional gesture of goodwill, which will be made available before Christmas, and I’d personally like to thank everyone again for bearing with us at what has been a very challenging time.”
The refund will be addition to the statutory compensation to which customers are already entitled, amounting to £70 for domestic and commercial customers left with power for more than two days following a category 2 storm, plus another £70 for every additional 12 hours, up to a maximum of £700. It means customers disconnected for at least 6 days, as some already have been, are set to receive at least £780 in total.
The announcement comes after SPEN faced criticism from MPs in the House of Commons for poor communication with customers affected by the storm, in particular for providing inaccurate information about likely reconnection times.