285 international contractors join ESB Networks crews in worst hit areas following Storm Éowyn

285 skilled technicians from counterparts in Austria, Finland, France and Great Britain are now on the ground in the worst impacted areas in Ireland following the record-breaking Storm Éowyn.

Further support is also arriving from Germany, Netherlands, and Norway over the coming days. They will be supporting over 2,500 local ESB Networks crews and partner contactors in the affected areas, who have been bolstered by colleagues from the south and east of the country, as well as skilled retirees.  

As of  Thursday, January 30, ESB Networks have restored power to 682,000 homes, farms and businesses, with  approximately 89,000 customers still without supply. This is down from a peak of 768,000, following the unprecedented impact of Storm Éowyn. 

Restoration work is continuing. In the areas with the largest number of faults, as the crews make progress to repair the extensive damage, some customers may see their Estimated Restoration Times change over the coming days.

If you are in a position to visit www.PowerCheck.ie, it will continue to be updated.  

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In addition to the crews deployed, over 1,300 support staff are involved in overseeing damage assessment, emergency call management, logistics and network operations. The ESB customer contact centre has also doubled its resources to accommodate the unprecedented high volumes of calls, resulting in short call response times throughout the day and night for customers. 

Important Public Safety Message: ESB Networks is reinforcing its vital warning around public safety as they go into day eight of the restoration of supply in the aftermath of the storm.

Still with many faults on the electricity network, the company been made aware of several instances of potentially very dangerous incidents where members of the public have unknowingly approached fallen electricity infrastructure, particularly in the worst impacted areas of the country. 

Following a significant weather event like Storm Éowyn, fallen debris can prevent people from seeing hidden risks such as wires entangled into trees and branches.   

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 wishes to acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes and thanks customers across the country who remain without power for their patience as crews work to safely restore power.