Heathrow power cut was due to issue raised 7 years ago

The cause of a “catastrophic failure” of critical equipment at an electrical substation serving London’s Heathrow was detected in 2018 but ignored by National Grid Plc, according to an official report on the incident. A massive power outage that crippled operations at Europe’s busiest airport in March resulted from a buildup of moisture inside the substation’s “bushing” — insulators that keep high-voltage environments operating safely. That led the oil, used for cooling, to catch fire. [caption id="attachment_57290049" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Smoke from a fire at North Hyde Electricity Substation near Heathrow Airport in March. (Courtesy/Jaimi Joy/Bloomberg)[/caption] National Grid identified the moisture issue seven years ago and didn’t take action, even though its own guidelines warned the bushing was at risk of imminent fault and should be replaced, according to an analysis from the National Energy System Operator. The company’s shares dropped the most in a month on Wednesday. The report lays bare numerous oversights by National Grid regarding maintenance schedules and fire safety. Although the company has taken steps to ensure such an event won’t occur at another site, U.K. ministers have faced calls to beef up regulation governing the resilience of critical infrastructure. Energy watchdog Ofgem has opened its own investigation into National Grid following the publication of NESO’s review. That will maintain pressure on the London-based firm, whose operations have been under scrutiny since the March outage brought Heathrow to a standstill. Findings Inspections of fire-control measures at the substation in 2022 and 2024 found some systems to be “inoperable” or “out of service,” according to the report. National Grid said it planned to refurbish those systems in October. NESO also found that the site conformed to outdated standards, while a newer building would have prioritized “distance and physical barriers between oil-filled equipment.” “Basic” maintenance on the transformer housing the bushing took place in 2018, but major works hadn’t been carried out since 2012. While there’s some flexibility permitted, that timeframe was too long, NESO said in its report, which U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described as “deeply concerning.” National Grid said in a statement it supported the recommendations in the report and would cooperate closely with Ofgem’s probe. Its shares fell as much as 3.8%, the most since May 29, and traded down 3.1% as of 1:47 p.m. in London. Heathrow Airport, which has also faced scrutiny following the incident, highlighted National Grid’s shortcomings but said it was “not trying to shift blame.” NESO’s review also found that network operators aren’t generally aware of whether customers connected to their grids are part of the UK’s critical infrastructure. In addition, there’s no requirement for such operators to ensure appropriate back-up power supplies. Work is underway, led by the government, to find a solution.

Heathrow power cut was due to issue raised 7 years ago

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