ESB Networks met crews from French counterparts Enedis yesterday at Rosslare Europort who have arrived to assist with power restoration in the aftermath of Storm Darragh.
Storm Darragh caused widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure across the country on Saturday 7th December, which impacted 395,000 customers at the peak.
So far, crews and partner contractors have restored power to 375,000 customers impacted by the storm, with approximately 20,000 remaining without power following the storm (as at 5pm yesterday). They will now be joined by 60 skilled personnel from Enedis who will be deployed in the worst impacted areas in the South East, North West and Midlands.
Crews from France arrive to assist ESB Networks post-Storm Darragh
James Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Justice with responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice, and H.E. Céline Place, Ambassador of France in Ireland were also in attendance for the arrival of crews at Rosslare Europort.
He said: “The impact of Storm Darragh has been felt right across the country and ESB Networks teams have been working around the clock to restore power to those impacted. But given the scale of damage they need support, so I am delighted to be here to welcome the skilled personnel from their French colleagues Enedis. L
"Last year, ESB Networks travelled to France to assist in the aftermath of Storm Ciarán so it is great to see this reciprocated as part of the longstanding cooperation agreement in place between the electricity network operators.”
Nicholas Tarrant, Managing Director of ESB Networks, commented: “Storm Darragh has been the most damaging storm we have experienced since Storm Ophelia in 2017, during which French crews provided considerable support to ESB Networks in electricity restoration efforts. Our crews and partner contractors have been carrying out incredible work right across the country to continue to safely restore power to as many customers as possible in difficult conditions.
"We are delighted to be joined in this effort by our French counterparts Enedis. We have a proud track record of supporting neighbouring countries if requested by electricity network operators following major storm damage. Last year, our crews travelled to France to assist in the aftermath of Storm Ciarán. Due to the severity and significant scale of the damage following Storm Darragh, some customers could be without power for approximately a week so we hope that this will help us to restore power as soon as possible in those worst affected areas".
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