Lessons must be learned from the handling of Storm Arwen

Ofgem have published an interim review into Storm Arwen where nearly one million homes lost power in November 2021.

Prospect senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said:

“Prospect welcomes Ofgem’s interim report into the handling of Storm Arwen. However, Ofgem’s continuing investigation must have a much stronger focus on workforce resilience.

“Despite its severity and the operational challenges it caused, Storm Arwen should not be viewed as a one-off event. Although the networks’ workforce responded valiantly, it is essential that lessons are learned from this experience.

“Electricity network operators need to invest in significantly expanding the pool of skilled and experienced engineers and they must be transparently held to account for their performance on workforce investment.”

These concerns were reinforced by members of the ESI sub-committee meeting last week, and will be followed up with the networks companies.