LOCAL MSP CALLS FOR ACTION AS NEWTON FARM RESIDENTS EXPERIENCE ANOTHER POWER CUT

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LOCAL MSP CALLS FOR ACTION AS NEWTON FARM RESIDENTS EXPERIENCE ANOTHER POWER CUT

Newton Farm residents were left without power yet again this week (5th December) – only six weeks on from another major outage.

On Sunday 22nd October, residents were without electricity for over 12 hours and the most recent cut impacted households for up to 90 minutes.

In response to the outages, SP Energy Networks have increased generator capacity to restore supply in the event of a significant incident, with this extra capacity being retained until after the festive break.

They are also in the process of undertaking a full review of the electrical network on the circuit to identify any locations where targeted investment may minimise the likelihood of further issues. So far, two cable sections been identified for replacement with the work being planned for early next year.

Additionally, a new substation was installed at Red Deer Road following the faults on the 22nd October. According to SP Energy Networks, this will impact of the majority of faults and help aid restoration. With regard to the power cut on the 5th December, this enabled the restoration of approximately 900 customers within 8 minutes.

Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey contacted SP Energy Networks, and GTC who also distribute electricity to parts of Newton Farm, seeking an urgent investigation and has called for work to improve the resilience of the electricity network.

Ms Haughey met with SP Energy Networks after the power loss in October, and was assured they were taking action to minimise any further impact of these faults on the community and that they were focused on addressing the problems in the short and longer-terms.

Commenting on the latest power loss, Ms Haughey said:

“The situation Newton Farm residents are facing is completely unacceptable. The impact these outages have had has been significant – people were unable to work from home, food had been wasted, and, for people with specific health issues, they need constant electricity supply.

“Understandably, locals are very concerned that these issues will keep occurring after having experienced several power cuts over recent months.

“My office spoke to both SP Energy Networks and GTC on the day of the power cut, and SP Energy Networks have also provided me with a written response after I wrote to them.

“I am urging SP Energy Networks, and GTC, to do what they can to address the problems in the short and longer-terms. They should also be properly compensating residents who have been impacted.”

ENDS