- There has been unprecedented, widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure so far with power outages nationwide affecting 560,000 customers as of 6:00a.m; we anticipate significant further outages as Storm Éowyn moves across the country
- An Important Public Safety Message: If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999
- ESB Networks crews and partner contractors will be deployed when safe to do so, to assess the network and work to safely restore power as quickly as possible in challenging conditions
- Given the predicted extent of the damage nationwide, we anticipate restoration will take a significant number of days. Estimated restoration times (ERTs) will only be provided once our teams have assessed network faults and these will be available to view throughout Saturday on www.PowerCheck.ie.
Issued: 6:00 a.m. on Friday, 24th January 2025
Extreme, damaging and destructive winds associated with Storm Éowyn have so far caused widespread and extensive damage to the electricity network across the country with over 560,000 homes, farms and businesses (as at 6:00 a.m.) without power. With Met Éireann Status Red and Orange wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until later this afternoon, significantly more power outages can be expected throughout the day as the storm tracks northwards. Even at current numbers, the damage to the electricity network and impact on customers has been unprecedented.
ESB Networks continue to closely monitor the storm impact on power supplies and all available resources stand ready to mobilise once safe to do so.
From our experience of previous significant weather events and due to the severity of Storm Éowyn, we expect that power restoration will take a significant number of days.
Given the extent of the damage nationwide estimated restoration times (ERTs) will only be provided once our teams have assessed network faults and these will then be available to view throughout Saturday on www.PowerCheck.ie.
Our Customer Contact Centre Agents will be supporting customers throughout Storm Éowyn but will not be in a position to provide outage information until the network assessment has been fully conducted.
An Important Public Safety Message: If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999.
ENDS/
N.B. Further updates will be issued later today
Media queries: ESB Press Office, 087-2557186 or email corporatecommunications@esb.ie
Notes to editor:
How ESB Networks restores power following a storm similar to Storm Éowyn:
Firstly, our crews make safe fallen, low hanging wires and other damage to electricity networks. This may mean that these lines have to be switched out until they can be repaired.
Where possible, we restore supply remotely from our National Distribution Control Centre using alternative power lines where available.
Prior to initiating repairs works, our Network Technicians carry out full assessments of network damage, so that power can be restored systematically and safely.
Crews are initially dispatched to repair lines that will return service to the largest number of customers in the least amount of time. ESB Networks focusses initially on high voltage transmission and medium voltage distribution lines where significant numbers of customers can be restored at once.
The next step is to restore the low voltage network that serves individual homes and smaller groups of customers. Typically, this is a slower process as there can be large numbers of small faults on a line serving a small cluster of customers, often less than ten properties. Each individual repair can be time consuming (clearing fallen trees, debris, broken poles etc) and only restores power to small customer numbers who are served by that low voltage line on the network.