Around 12,000 customers are without power as Storm Eleanor sweeps across the southern counties of Northern Ireland.  Severe winds with gusts of up to 70mph are set to continue until midnight and may cause further damage to the electricity network.  

Around 11,000 customers are without power as Storm Eleanor sweeps across the southern counties of Northern Ireland.  Severe winds with gusts over 70mph are set to continue with a Met Office amber warning for severe winds in place until 4.00am, potentially causing further damage to the electricity network.

NIE Networks has issued a safety warning to anyone flying drones to stay well away from power lines and substations. The warning follows a rise in popularity of drones and quadcopters as Christmas presents, and NIE Networks has said these aircraft could cause damage to the network if they crash into equipment.

Belfast based Sinead Norwood and Stephen McGrath, apprentices at NIE Networks, have celebrated their success after receiving an Engineering Horizons Bursary by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The Engineering Horizons Bursary has been awarded to apprentices who are passionate about engineering and have taken up an apprenticeship which has been approved by the IET.

NIE Networks has welcomed the news that Northern Ireland employers in the gas, water and power industries will have the opportunity to develop new sector apprenticeship frameworks to help ensure they reflect their needs.
 

If you want to learn more about how to stay safe when working near the electricity network or how to connect your farm or renewable generator, then be sure to call in at the NIE Networks’ stand at the Winter Fair on 14th December. 

Christmas is just around the corner and some households may already be planning their outdoor illuminations!  

Kelly Frizzell, from Lurgan, is the first women to win the Apprentice of the Year award at a recent Achievement Event that celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of the NIE Networks’ workforce. 

Winter is fast approaching and as the temperatures drop and the weather worsens, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks) is reminding everyone to be winter wise and prepare for any disruption to electricity supplies.

NIE Networks emergency crews have restored power to over 55,000 homes and businesses following damage caused to the electricity network by Storm Ophelia on Monday 16th October.