There is no doubt that with climate change comes more extreme weather.
In the UK, the Met Office has been naming storms now for ten years. These have been coming with greater regularity, often bringing devastation in their wake. The 2023/24 storm season saw 12 named storms, the greatest number of named storms since the first season in 2015.
Storms often cause devastation on the infrastructure that delivers our energy and for the workers responsible for keeping the lights on. Storms can cause billions of pounds of damage and can even put lives at risk.
As the UK awaits the impact of Storm Eowyn, which is bringing gusts of up to 100mph across Ireland and Scotland, we have brought together some of significant impacts recent storms have caused.
Wind turbine bursts into flames
A wind turbine burst into flames as hurricane-force winds battered parts of Scotland in 2011. Firefighters were called as the huge 330ft turbine in North Ayrshire caught fire in the afternoon. However, the blaze died out within minutes of their arrival.
North Sea rig floats away
Dozens of workers were evacuated after Storm Babet in 2023 caused a North Sea oil rig east of Aberdeen lose anchors amid turbulent waves. Forty-five non-essential staff working aboard the Stena Spey were airlifted to other sites after four out of eight anchors became detached due to the severe weather.
WATCH:
Wind turbine sheds blades
In December 2023, an Ayrshire wind turbine lost its blades and disintegrated as it was battered by Storm Gerrit. An onlooker captured the astonishing moment the 35m turbine at Auchencloigh farm span out of control.
Irish Sea oil rig evacuated
Last year 30 workers were evacuated from this oil rig in the Irish Sea but it was a preventative measure to ensure their safety. Petrofac (LON:PFC) confirmed that 27 workers onboard the Irish Sea Pioneer in Liverpool Bay were evacuated ahead of Storm Darragh.
Dozens of North Sea helicopters grounded
Storm Eunice grounds dozens of North Sea helicopter flights in 2022. Between them, the four helicopter operators CHC, Bristow, NHV and Offshore Helicopter Services (formerly Babcock) delayed or cancelled 28 flights going to and from oil and gas installations.
More groundings and evacuations
Weather conditions bring evacuations of multiple North Sea platforms and dozens of cancelled flights in 2021.
BP removed 108 non-essential workers from its ETAP platform, which sits around 100 miles east of the Granite City, while a further 38 crew members were taken off the firms’ Andrew installation.
A spokesman for the oil and gas giant said: “The safety of our people is always our number one priority and these precautionary measures are well established in our operating procedures.”
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