The Business, Energy and Industrial Secretary said it is “totally unacceptable” and “frustrating” the fact that some thousands of homes across the north of England are still off power in the aftermath of the Storm Arwen.
In an interview, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “I think it is completely unacceptable that there are still off power and that’s why I have instituted a review into whether the companies have invested enough, Ofgem is looking at this and of course there will be some enforcement measures to make sure that the companies are held to account.”
Mr Kwarteng visited County Durham villages on Sunday and confirmed that nearly 3,900 homes are still without power.
On Friday, Ofgem said it agreed with energy companies to compensate and give more money to customers most impacted by the Storm Arwen.
As Met Office issued severe weather warning ahead of the arrival of Storm Barra on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Energy Networks Association told ELN: “Energy network operators are working together to prepare for the developing Storm Barra.
“We are monitoring forecasts regularly, coordinating response plans and preparing to share resources if required.”
Up in County Durham thanking engineers, volunteers and Armed Forces personnel working on the #StormArwen response
99.6% are back online, but it’s frustrating 3,900 are still without power in the North East
Everyone is working flat out in tough conditions to restore power ASAP pic.twitter.com/qDBoXm85my
— Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) December 5, 2021