The Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2010

Interpretation of the normal and severe weather restoration standards

4.—(1) In this regulation and regulations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10–

(a) “category 1 severe weather conditions” means–

(i) conditions in which eight or more times the daily mean faults on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage caused by weather predominantly related to lightning in a 24-hour period affect less than the category 3 threshold number of customers; or

(ii) conditions in which eight or more but fewer than thirteen times the daily mean faults on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage caused by weather not predominantly related to lightning in a 24-hour period affect less than the category 3 threshold number of customers;

(b) “category 2 severe weather conditions” means conditions in which thirteen or more times the daily mean faults on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage in a 24-hour period caused by weather not predominantly related to lightning affect less than the category 3 threshold number of customers;

(c) “category 3 severe weather conditions” means conditions in which faults on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system caused by weather interrupt a number of customers that is equal to or greater than the category 3 threshold number of customers;

(d) “category 3 threshold number of customers” means, for each designated electricity distributor, the number in column 4 in the Table in Part III of Schedule 1 opposite the reference to that distributor in column 1;

(e) “distribution higher voltage” means any nominal voltage of more than 1,000 volts up to and including 132 kilovolts in England and Wales and up to but excluding 132 kilovolts in Scotland;

(f) “eight times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage” means, for each designated electricity distributor, the number in column 2 in the Table in Part III of Schedule 1 opposite the reference to that distributor in column 1;

(g) “Highlands and Islands” means the following Scottish local authority areas: the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, Eilean Siar (the Western Isles), the Highlands (consisting of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Skye and Lochalsh, and Lochaber), and Argyll and Bute;

(h) “relevant electricity distributor”, in relation to any customer, means;

(i) the electricity distributor to whose distribution system that customer’s premises are directly connected, or

(ii) where that distributor is entitled to rely on the exemption described at paragraph (9) of regulation 10 and has so notified the other electricity distributor to whom that paragraph refers, that other electricity distributor;

(i) “relevant period” means the prescribed period commencing at the earlier of–

(i) the first time at which an electricity distributor is informed by a customer that the supply to that customer’s premises has been discontinued; or

(ii) the first time at which an electricity distributor is informed by a person other than that customer or is otherwise made aware by the operation of any automatic system operated by that distributor of circumstances in which regulation 5(1), 6(1), 7(1), 7(2), 7(3) or 9(1) applies or may reasonably be expected to apply to premises including the customer’s premises,

provided that–

(iii) where the interruption of supply to a customer’s premises arises from a failure of, fault in, or damage to an underground electric line of a nominal voltage of 20 kilovolts operated by an electricity distributor, the prescribed period shall commence at the time which is 12 hours after the time at that paragraph (i) or (ii) applies, and

(iv) with the exception of interruptions of supply occurring anywhere in the Highlands and Islands, where any steps necessary to restore the supply to a customer’s premises are prevented by ice accretion, flooding, or snow affecting a relevant part of a relevant electricity distributor’s distribution system that was being used to distribute electricity to the premises immediately before the supply was interrupted, it shall mean the time at which the effects of the ice accretion, flooding, or snow no longer prevent such steps from being taken;

(j) “thirteen times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage” means, for each designated electricity distributor, the number in column 3 in the table in Part III of the Schedule 1 opposite the reference to that distributor in column 1;

(k) “total number of customers interrupted” means, for each designated electricity distributor for the purposes of regulation 7(6) and 7(8), the total number of customers whose supplies are interrupted by the category 3 weather conditions in that distributor’s distribution services area; and

(l) “upper-threshold number of customers” means, for each designated electricity distributor, the number in column 5 in the table in Part III of Schedule 1 opposite the reference to that distributor in column 1.

(2) For the purposes of calculating and making compensation payments under regulations 5, 6, 7 and 8 where supply is interrupted to a customer’s premises that are directly connected to the distribution system of a relevant electricity distributor who is not a designated electricity distributor;

(a) that interruption shall be deemed to have been caused by the same category of event applicable to the designated electricity distributor in whose distribution services area that relevant electricity distributor operates; and

(b) the application of the formula in regulation 7(6)(a) shall be based on the total number of customers interrupted in the designated distributor’s distribution services area in which that relevant electricity distributor operates.