CEO John Pettigrew Affirms Two Substations Remained Operational as Fire Disrupted Airport
The chief executive of National Grid has stated that Heathrow Airport had adequate power from alternative substations, despite the disruptions caused by Friday’s fire at an electrical substation in Hayes.
John Pettigrew confirmed that two substations remained operational, ensuring that power was always available for Heathrow and the distribution network companies. However, flight operations were suspended after the fire damaged a substation on Thursday evening, with services only resuming late on Friday.
Speaking to The Financial Times, Pettigrew explained: “There was no shortage of capacity from the substations. Each of them, independently, can supply Heathrow with the necessary power.”
Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, explained that a back-up transformer also failed during the outage, leading to a shutdown of critical systems as engineers worked to redirect power from the remaining substations.
A 2014 consultancy report had already identified weaknesses in Heathrow’s power infrastructure, warning that outages could lead to severe operational disruptions.
In response to the incident, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has directed the National Energy System Operator (Neso) to conduct an urgent investigation, with preliminary findings expected in six weeks. Counter-terrorism officers initially assessed the fire but later determined it was not suspicious, leaving the London Fire Brigade to lead the investigation into the electrical failure.
Meanwhile, Heathrow has launched an internal review of its crisis management procedures, led by former Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. Airport officials have apologised for the disruption, stating that normal flight schedules resumed by Sunday, with over 1,300 flights operating as planned.
