Global S&T Development Trend Analysis Platform of Resources and Environment
UK government orders network operators to improve storm responses | |
admin | |
2022-06-09 | |
发布年 | 2022 |
语种 | 英语 |
国家 | 英国 |
领域 | 气候变化 ; 资源环境 |
正文(英文) | UK government orders network operators to improve storm responsesThe UK government has today set out a range of actions to improve the resilience of Great Britain’s electricity networks for future extreme weather events.
The UK government has today (9 June 2022) set out a range of actions to improve the resilience of Great Britain’s electricity networks for future extreme weather events. This follows a comprehensive government review into the industry response to Storm Arwen and will ensure better outcomes for consumers by setting deadlines for operators to take action. In November 2021 Storm Arwen brought severe weather disruption to the UK, with around one million households experiencing power cuts, nearly 75,000 of whom were without power for over 48 hours and over 3,700 for a week or more. As the government made clear at the time, it was unacceptable that thousands of homes were left without power for so long, which is why the Business and Energy Secretary commissioned a review into how network operators responded to the storm, to identify lessons and ensure suppliers step up to prevent the scale of the issues happening again. Recommendations from the review include measures to improve the resilience of the electricity system from future storms and improvements to ensure customers quickly receive compensation payments, with network operators given deadlines to implement the changes. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:
Areas worst affected were North East England and Scotland, with both the Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Energy Minister Greg Hands visiting local communities to see work taking place on the ground to get households reconnected to power. The review has been a joint endeavour between government, industry and Ofgem – with the energy regulator also publishing their own report into the Storm Arwen response today, looking at how each network operator performed against their legal obligations. Ofgem’s review acknowledged the hard work of front-line staff in challenging circumstances, but found thousands of customers were provided with an unacceptable service. Network operators have paid over £34 million in direct compensation to affected customers, and following Ofgem’s review, have agreed to pay a further £10 million in redress payments to the affected communities. The government’s final report recommends actions across the 3 areas of the review - System Resilience, Consumer Protection, and Additional Support – with the Business and Energy Secretary setting deadlines for the next steps to be completed. System resilienceThe review found that existing network standards did not provide adequate resilience to Storm Arwen’s unusual northerly winds. A new ‘outcomes-focused physical resilience standard’ will be developed, which will define resilience standards in terms of the outcomes for consumers, as opposed to the current standards, which are solely defined as measures to be implemented. Each Distribution Network Operator (DNO) has been ordered to review their severe weather escalation plans, to ensure all relevant factors that can influence the scale of impacts, such as wind direction, are considered. The government will update industry best practice to ensure network operators can quickly identify faults and safely assess the extent of network damage earlier in a storm, exploring how smart meter data and technology can help with this. Customer communicationOne of the biggest issues faced by those impacted was the poor service customers received when trying to contact their network operator. The review found all impacted DNOs had excessive abandoned calls and maximum wait times. DNOs have been ordered to ensure that communication systems are adequate to meet demand, and introduce telephone systems and websites capable of handling increased traffic during a storm. This includes considering any additional resourcing or processes to avoid call centres being overwhelmed, such as hiring more staff and sharing call handlers between organisations where necessary. CompensationThere will be changes to the compensation payment system so customers are more aware of what they are entitled to, and so compensation is paid out faster. Although nearly 90% of those affected received compensation payments by 24 January 2022, following the Business Secretary calling for customers to promptly receive payments, the review recommends DNOs should develop more robust payment mechanisms. This will ensure they can deliver payments at scale and continue their development customer accounts that allow customers to directly update their contact details to their DNOs, so compensation can be paid more swiftly. The Energy Networks Association will lead on developing more publicity for compensation entitlement in the event of a power cut. The energy regulator Ofgem will commission a review into the compensation payment structure, looking at whether a compensation cap is still appropriate, developing alternative options to the system, and improving the accuracy of customer data The outcomes from this review will be taken forward to improve resilience of the system, building on previous efforts and investment from both government and industry, to ensure a better outcome for consumers. Notes to editorsEnergy Emergencies Executive Committee’s Storm Arwen Review: final report. Ofgem: Final report on the review into the networks’ response.
Published 9 June 2022
|
URL | 查看原文 |
来源平台 | Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy |
文献类型 | 新闻 |
条目标识符 | http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/348907 |
专题 | 气候变化 资源环境科学 |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | admin. UK government orders network operators to improve storm responses. 2022. |
条目包含的文件 | 条目无相关文件。 |
个性服务 |
推荐该条目 |
保存到收藏夹 |
查看访问统计 |
导出为Endnote文件 |
谷歌学术 |
谷歌学术中相似的文章 |
[admin]的文章 |
百度学术 |
百度学术中相似的文章 |
[admin]的文章 |
必应学术 |
必应学术中相似的文章 |
[admin]的文章 |
相关权益政策 |
暂无数据 |
收藏/分享 |
除非特别说明,本系统中所有内容都受版权保护,并保留所有权利。
修改评论