New power-cut emergency line to be launched
GOVERNMENT ministers and the energy industry have agreed to launch a new emergency phone line to help people who have had their electricity cut off.
Energy secretary Ed Davey yesterday chaired a meeting of operators responsible for the UK power network to discuss lessons to be learnt from the recent poor weather and subsequent power cuts, which affected 750,000 households over the Christmas period.
Announcing a review into the way companies deal with mass power-outages Davey said: “Clearly, communications with customers must be at the heart of this review as in some cases households were not kept informed of what was being done to help them or when they were likely to be reconnected. In particular, people need to know how to contact the network operator in their region if there is a power cut, and we’re looking to introduce a single emergency number which people can call irrespective of where they live.”
A spokesman for Ofgem, whose interim chief executive Andrew Wright attended the meeting, said the company welcomed all parts of the review and would continue to work closely with the government.