Heathrow Airport was forced to shut down on Friday after a fire caused a power outage, but its chief executive said the airport had “enough capacity” from other substations to continue operations. John Pettigrew, National Grid’s chief executive, told the Financial Times that two other substations were operational and capable of powering the airport.
However, Heathrow’s shutdown was not due to a lack of power, but rather the time it took to switch to the alternative supplies. The fire started in a transformer within an electrical substation in Hayes, north of Heathrow, around midnight. The incident disrupted the supply of millions of pounds of goods that go through the airport and caused thousands of flights to be cancelled.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the incident was “deeply concerning” and that there were questions that need to be answered on how it occurred. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also expressed concerns, saying that he was “deeply concerned” about the incident and that there are “questions that need to be answered”.
The airport’s emergency back-up power supplies used diesel generators and batteries, but these only kept crucial safety systems running. A separate biomass power generator provided heat and electricity to Terminal Two.
An investigation into the shutdown has been ordered by the government, which will seek to answer questions surrounding the incident. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) will lead the six-week investigation, with initial findings expected in May.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjy4m0n1exo