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NEWS
April/May 2013 www.esb.ie/em
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Storm hits Northern Ireland
More than 140,000 customers were affected by the severe blizzards which hit the eastern counties of Northern Ireland on 22 and 23 march. NIE emergency crews, ably assisted by around 100 lines staff from ESB and other contractors, worked around the clock to rebuild the network which had been damaged by snow accretion and strong winds.
key statistics:
• Over 140,000 home were left without electricity as a severe storm hit Northern Ireland on Friday last.
• Around 500 NIE staff were deployed round the clock to assess and complete repairs.
• By Friday evening 96,000 homes had their power restored.
• 80 additional NT's were deployed from ESB on Saturday morning to assist in the repair work.
• By Saturday evening another 17,000 had been restored leaving 18,000 still without power.
• By Sunday evening power had been restored to all but 2,000 homes.
• Two helicopters were used to identify faults and to bring crew and materials to remote
METER CHEATERS
THE BBC investigative current affairs programme Spotlight NI recently went undercover to expose meter tampering. The programme, which had over 200,000 viewers set up a sting operation with an electrician who was advertising his services online.
NIE metering manager Tom Doran made his television debut in an interview for the programme and was visibly shocked at the undercover footage he was shown. He said, “I cannot stress enough how dangerous meter tampering is. It can not only put your property at risk but also the lives of you and your family. I hope the focus that Spotlight NI has put on this practice will highlight the dangers and stop anyone considering tampering with their meter.”
Minister launches Apprentice-to-Graduate scheme
» The Nothern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry, recently visited the Overhead Lines Training Centre at Campsie to launch NIE's new scheme to develop apprentices into graduate engineers.
During the visit, Dr Farry met with a number of third-year apprentices and took time to understand NIE's focus on safety, employee development and investment for the future.
The new Apprentice to Graduate scheme will offer two sponsored electrical & electronic engineering full-time undergraduate positions at Queen's University Belfast, to current or former apprentices.
New Live Line Lorry
» A TEAM OF NIE LIVE-LINE ENGINEERS IS EXCITED TO HAVE A NEW SPECIALIST VEHICLE
ONE TEAM of NIE live-line engineers is delighted to be driving a new form of transport.
The team, comprising Wilbert Smith, Ian Campbell and Kieren Quigley, collected their new Uni-mog U400, which is fitted with an Insulated Aerial Device (IAD) at the start of march. The vehicle enables the trio to carry out work on live 11,000kV overhead electricity lines. The team, one of six at NIE, uses specialised techniques and equipment to carry out maintenance and tree cutting on live lines across the north and the northwest of Northern Ireland.
Wilbertsaid, “This vehicle has off-road capabilities, so we can access difficult terrain to get to overhead lines. The insulated boom provides us with insulation from ground and the working bucket rises to 14 metres allowing us to work on live lines. A unique feature of this machine is that the tyres deflate at the flick of a button. This provides the machine with enhanced ground traction, which is vital for some of the difficult and soft ground conditions that we have to access. It is worth approximately £160,000 and weighs 10 tonnes unladen, so it's a pretty impressive piece of kit.”
Ian and Kieren couldn't wait to test the new vehicle and they added, “This vehicle is also eco friendly and runs on batteries when we are in the working bucket, cutting down on diesel emissions and also reducing engine sound so as we can communicate better with each other, which is important for our safety.
“Working on live lines is a very specialist role that requires specialist clothing but this work allows us to reduce the number of planned electricity outages for customers throughout the year. We are looking forward to hitting the road and getting it into action.”
SAFETY FIRST FOR NI KIDZ!
PUPILS ACROSS Northern Ireland will be putting safety first this Spring with the launch of Northern Ireland Electricity's new Kidzsafe programme. Kidzsafe is an interactive programme designed to educate and raise awareness of the dangers of electricity network to Key Stage 2 pupils (aged between 7 and 111) and above.
The programme launches three brand-new NIE safety characters -Suzy Sparkz will help primary school pupils learn about safety, Chase Powers will take Key Stage 3 and 4 (aged between 11 and 16) on The Journey of Electricity and the character Dr Watt is on hand to help parents and teachers deliver the programme.
NIE Head of Health, Safety and Environment Kevin mcDowell hopes the programme will appeal to a wide range of school pupils. “Kidzsafe is a fun and interactive way for school children of all ages to learn about the journey of electricity, and how to stay safe around the network of overhead lines, substations and mini-pillars they may see in their communities. In recent years, NIE has taken a very pro-active response to public safety and this is an extension of our current schools programme. Kidzsafe also allows parents, teachers and children to learn together using online fact sheets and interactive games as well as offering school talks and demonstrations.
“It is crucial that children appreciate the dangers of playing near electricity substations and overhead lines. Electricity pylons, poles and substations can attract adventurous youngsters but our advice is simple - stay safe by staying away from electricity equipment. We believe this approach will help pupils understand more about how the electricity network operates and how they can keep themselves and their friends safe.”
The initiative was launched at Forge Integrated Primary School, where Principal Neville Watson is delighted that pupils at his school are the first to benefit., “Safety education initiatives like Kidzsafe help reinforce the message to young people to take care when playing outside. With daylight hours getting longer this is a timely reminder to all our pupils to be aware of where they are playing and to play safely.”
