Taoiseach welcomes assistance from UK electricity engineers but normal ‘pool’ not available

LAST UPDATE | 27 Jan

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has thanked his British counterpart Keir Starmer for the help provided by UK engineering crews as ESB restores power after Storm Éowyn.

As of this morning, around 246,000 ESB customers are still without power.

While ESB said the vast majority of those impacted by Storm Éowyn will have their supply restored by Friday, it expects that around 100,000 customers will have to wait until the following week.

At the peak of the power outages on Friday morning, around 768,000 customers were without power.

Meanwhile in the North, around 65,000 people remain without power and Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) has advised that it could be 3 February before all properties are reconnected.

Some 52 engineers from England had been scheduled to arrive on the island of Ireland on Saturday, with 30 to be utilised by NIE and 22 to assist ESB Networks in the Republic, and further resources to follow.

ESB Networks crews and partner contractors pictured on site near Dunmanway in West Cork during restoration works in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn. Michael O'Sullivan Michael O'Sullivan

In a statement today, Martin said he spoke with Starmer earlier and that the impact of Storm Éowyn and ongoing recovery efforts were among the issues raised.

He thanked the British prime minister for his assistance and said that it came about “as part of a mutual association agreement among electricity companies”.

However, Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary today told RTÉ that Ireland doesn’t “have the kind of pool we’d normally have” in terms of electrical engineers because of the significant storm damage in Scotland.

Speaking to RTÉ this morning, Calleary said: “We’ve asked for support from other European countries, but there have been storms in other European countries.

“So that skill, which normally would be available, is going to be slower.

“We will be throwing everything to try and make sure that we get people reconnected.”

Meanwhile, Brian Tapley, ESB Networks Regional Manager, this morning told RTÉ that it will take “most of next week” before everyone has their power restored.

He also noted that the worst impacted areas are Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Cavan, and some parts of the Midland and it’s here where it will be next week until power is restored.

Tapley added that where people have access to phones or the internet, they should consult PowerCheck.ie for information on estimated restoration times.

He also said ESB is working with the government at Emergency Response Hubs to provide information face-to-face for people who have no power or mobile phone signal.

Local authorities have established, in the worst affected areas, Emergency Response Hubs to assist people with basic needs such as water, hot food, phone charging, broadband access, shower and clothes washing facilities.

However, not all local authorities will need to establish Emergency Response Hubs.

Meanwhile, Tapley noted that outside of urban centres, there is a predominantly overhead electrical network and that Ireland has “around four times the overhead network per capita compared to the UK or Europe”.

He pointed to this as a reason why Ireland is experiencing a higher level of power outages than the UK.

Tapley added that the overhead network design is the most cost-effective one and is common outside of urban centres.

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“The overhead network is more exposed to the elements and when it comes to repairs, you do a lot of repair effort, and it might only restore small amounts of customers because those customers are not based in urban centres.”

He added that the wooden poles holding up the overhead networks are maintained every year and replaced regularly.

“It’s not that the network isn’t built to the highest standards, it’s just sheer scale and the wind speeds that impact the country,” said Tapley.

He added that there is “no shortage of people” working to restore power and that ESB will get more support from the UK this week, as well as support coming from Europe.

“But other utilities are experiencing the impact of the recent storms, so some of those can only come to help us when they’ve sorted out their own utilities at our own location,” said Tapley.

Elsewhere, Irish Farmers’ Association President Francie Gorman called for all necessary resources are deployed to repair the damage caused by Storm Ėoywn.

“For farms which are at the busiest time of the year, every day without electricity or water is very challenging,” said Gorman.

He added: “We need to assess our infrastructure in the aftermath and see what can be done to better prepare for this.

“This review should involve all stakeholders to see what steps can be taken to minimise disruption when we encounter similar events in the future.”