ESB Networks has said that around 120,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power due to the impact of Storm Darragh.
As of 8:45p.m tonight (Saturday, December 7), ESB crews had managed to restore power to 275,000 customers across the country.
The extremely strong and gusty winds resulted in “widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure”, which impacted 395,000 customers at the peak.
ESB Networks has said that the impact is similar to the damage caused by Storm Ophelia in 2017, which left 385,000 customers without power at its peak.
Storm Darragh
ESB Networks crews and partner contractors will continue working into tonight to safely restore power to as many customers as possible in challenging conditions, before mobilising again at first light tomorrow morning.
However, there is a warning that “significant numbers” may be without supply for a number of days.
“Due to the severity and significant scale of the damage some customers could be without power for approximately a week. Assessment of the extent of damage is continuing,” a spokesperson for ESB Networks said.
Storm Darragh, which brought gusts of around 140km/hr in places, resulted in a Status Red weather warning being issued by Met Éireann for several counties on Friday night and into this morning
ESB Networks said that it is important that any impacted customers who use electrically powered medical devices contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements, if necessary.
Given the scale of the damage and the dynamic nature of the event, the ESB said that it will continue to confirm restoration times for customers through its PowerCheck website.
Customer contact centre agents will be supporting customers throughout Storm Darragh, but will not be in a position to provide outage information until the network assessment has been fully conducted.
“We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will remain without power over the coming days, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power,” the spokesperson added.
Anyone who comes across fallen wires or damaged electricity network is being advised to never, ever touch or approach these as they are live and extremely dangerous.
Any damage to electricity infrastructure can be reported to ESB Networks by calling 1800 372 999.
Northern Ireland
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks) said that the high winds brought by Storm Darragh caused widespread damage to the electricity network in Northern Ireland.
As of 5:00p.m today, approximately 48,000 customers remained without power across Northern Ireland.
NIE Networks said that teams are working to assess the damage across the network, however debris on roads is impacting our restoration efforts.
“From our experience of previous significant weather events, we anticipate complete restoration will take a number of days.
“We will aim to restore power to those customers affected as quickly as possible where is it safe to do so,” the utility said.
Hundreds of extra staff have been brought in to help reinforce normal capability. Additional call agents have also been put in place to deal with any queries customers may have regarding the repair process in their area.