No sign of power line fault

Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD) have confirmed they have visually inspected 90km of power lines in the area where the fault that knocked out power to much of northern Scotland on Wednesday night.

This was carried out by helicopter and by staff on the ground but as yet no visible damage or signs of the fault have been identified.

According to SSEPD, the fault was transient (i.e. non-damaging to the lines) as the system came back on line with no issues. Such faults can be caused by foreign objects striking the lines such as debris in windy weather, lightning strike, pollution or equipment failures.