Prince William thanks engineers for Storm Goretti efforts

Prince William has thanked National Grid Electricity Distribution staff for their efforts to restore power in Cornwall following Storm Goretti.

On a visit to Helston on St Piran’s Day, the Prince met our Chief Operations Officer Ro Quinn and West Cornwall Operations Manager Rob Nicholls during a round-table discussion with organisations that had responded to the storm.

As well as NGED, the Prince met with firefighters and staff from Cornwall Air Ambulance, Cornwall Council, Cornwall Highways, Devon & Cornwall Police, Devon and Cornwall 4x4 Response and South West Water.

Commenting later on Instagram, Prince William said: “Thank you to firefighters and multi-agency responders who worked tirelessly during and after Storm Goretti. Their courage, professionalism and unity are a powerful reminder of the resilience at the heart of Cornwall.”

The round-table discussion brought together senior leaders and responders to reflect on lessons learned and the cohesion shown across Cornish communities during the storm.

Ro said: “The Prince was keen to hear about the impact of the worst storm to hit West Cornwall in decades and how frontline workers responded.

“He thanked teams for their commitment and recognised the vital role electricity workers play in helping communities recover quickly after severe weather.”

Storm Goretti brought nearly 100mph winds to West Cornwall, bringing down thousands of trees which caused extensive damage to the electricity network and widespread power disruption.

Hundreds of engineers from across the South West, as well as Wales and the Midlands, worked round-the-clock for five days to repair the damage, supported by control room operators. Our customer team responded to thousands of calls and provided support and updates for people on our Priority Services Register.