Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JULY 2022 | 23 Pan-utility how are we going to nd a robust and resil- ient way for people to be able to communi- cate with networks in the event of a power cut if they haven't got traditional landlines, which have their own power supply?" He continues: "The old landlines have separate power sources so they keep working in a power cut. Once that is turned o• , what we have seen in Storm Arwen could become more commonplace – people struggling to contact the networks in a power cut. So we need that to be sorted out." Further dissatisfaction in the report was expressed with how customer compensa- tion was handled, with "considerable con- fusion" reported about what support could be o• ered to people who were vulnerable or had additional needs. The absence of information on support measures on DNO websites meant that many, including vulnerable or PSR customers, assumed no support was available to them. There was also confusion over sug- gestions that some consumers may have received an additional goodwill payment from their DNO without needing to claim for this, while others did not. "This resulted in people living in the same localities receiving di• erent amounts of compensation in some cases, which raised questions about the consistency and fairness of compensation payments," Ofgem said. Elsewhere, some low-income consum- ers reported being unable to a• ord to pay upfront for alternative accommodation or subsistence, even though they were entitled to claim it back later. Some respondents also had to wait for several months a‰ er the storm to receive compensation, and a few said they received cheques addressed to the wrong person. Manning says that going forward: "We need to get ourselves to a place where, wherever there is compensation due, it is done automatically and within a reasonable timescale. "So the networks should all be working on that, whenever an event happens you get credit on your bill or whatever method you prefer." As part of its report, the energy regula- tor outlined 20 recommended actions to improve network performance during future storms, split across ve categories: network resilience; planning and preparation; han- dling of incidents; communication and sup- port during the incident; and support a‰ er the incident. Ofgem also said it would work with DNOs to develop additional reporting metrics for communications channels such as websites, applications and social media. The Energy Emergencies Executive Com- mittee (E3C) meanwhile made 45 recom- mendations, many of which had also been recommended by the regulator. While accepting that the actions seemed sensible, one industry expert has concerns over the timescales involved, with the rst of Ofgem's remedies to be completed by 31 July this year. "My rst reaction, to be perfectly hon- est, was the timescales for doing some of the actions are very tight because they are talk- ing about getting things done by the start of August and I think if you rush to get things done too quickly you miss the better solu- tion," Duncan McCombie, chair of Western Power Distribution's Customer Engagement Group, tells Utility Week. He worries that "we are missing a trick" by not involving key stakeholders in the development of plans because they have a lot of expert knowledge about the sector. "We don't want anybody le‰ behind in the digital transformation. We don't want customers le‰ behind when the power does go o• ," he says. Financial penalties As a result of their failings, networks were forced to collectively pay more than £23ž mil- lion in compensation, with total redress reaching more than £44 million. At more than £20 million, Northern Pow- ergrid paid out more than any other network, while Scottish and Southern Electricity Net- works (SSEN) also paid out a considerable amount at £15.4 million. Northern Powergrid chief executive Phil Jones issued a lengthy statement in which he said the extreme nature of Storm Arwen meant the DNO "learned some diŸ cult lessons". "It highlighted some limitations in our systems and showed us things we can do to be able to provide a stronger response to more extreme storms. We are committed to doing those things to make the communi- ties that we serve more resilient to extreme weather events," he added. Ofgem's chief executive Jonathan Brearley paid tribute to those who supported custom- ers and worked to restore power. However, he said, it was "unacceptable that nearly 4,000 homes in parts of England and Scot- land were o• power for over a week, o‰ en without accurate information as to when power would be restored". He said: "Network companies need to do better, not just to prevent power disruptions, but to ensure that when power is o• , they work smarter to get people back on power quicker, and keep customers informed with accurate and timely information. This is the very least customers should be able to expect. "The frequency of extreme weather events is only set to increase, so it is really important that industry, and those involved more widely, learn from Storm Arwen to bet- ter respond in future." Adam John, senior reporter "If you rush to get things done too quickly you miss the better solution." DUNCAN MCCOMBIE, CHAIR OF WPD'S CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT GROUP "Network companies need to do better." JONATHAN BREARLEY, CEO, OGEM Photo: Stock photo/iStock

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