ScottishPower has completed repairs to the electricity network in the South of Glasgow ahead of schedule, following a deliberate fire that caused substantial damage to high voltage power cables earlier this month.
Criminals who set fire to the cables caused power disruptions for 50,000 homes in the Southside of Glasgow for up to 40 minutes on November 7th. The fire also meant that the electricity network in the area was left considerably weaker than normal, meaning that further power interruptions were possible.
More than 150 ScottishPower engineers have been working around the clock since the fire to repair the damage caused. A major operation was required to remove the badly damaged equipment and specialist high voltage cables were commissioned and installed, with parts required from as far afield as Denmark. At the same rtime the company also constructed a compound of emergency generators in the Govan area of Glasgow – equivalent to a small power station – which could have been switched on to provide emergency back-up power for homes and businesses if required.
A £10,000 reward to anyone who can provide Strathclyde Police with information that leads to the conviction of those involved in the fire remains on offer from the company, who are still urging anyone who has information about the crime to come forward.
Guy Jefferson, Operations Director at ScottishPower Energy Networks, said: “We have completed a complex and difficult project in two weeks which in normal circumstances would have taken eight. Our engineers have done a remarkable job to finish the repairs early, and remove the immediate risk to electricity supplies in the Southside of Glasgow. We recognise the huge impact that any further disruption would have had on our customers and have responded accordingly.
“As a company we expect that there will be times when we need to respond quickly to incidents that can affect power supplies. It is reassuring to see our procedures are working well, but hugely frustrating to see hundreds of our staff and large sums of money being diverted to combat the affects of criminal damage.
“It is incredible that mindless criminals cost the UK economy £1 billion per year in dealing with the damage and disruption caused by metal theft. We would urge anybody who has information about this crime to come forward and to let the Police know.”
Any member of the public with information on the individuals involved with starting the fire can call ScottishPower’s security line on 0800 027 1950