National Grid’s chief executive, John Pettigrew, insists Heathrow Airport had sufficient power from alternative sources despite a substation fire that caused major disruptions.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Pettigrew clarified that two additional substations were “always available for the distribution network companies and Heathrow to take power.”
He emphasized, “Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow,” asserting that the event was unprecedented but did not indicate a lack of capacity.
Heathrow Responds: ‘Unprecedented Incident’
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport acknowledged Pettigrew’s remarks but highlighted the complexity of the situation.
“As John Pettigrew noted, he has never seen a transformer failure like this in his 30-year career. This confirms that the incident was exceptional and that uninterrupted operations at Heathrow were not feasible,” the spokesperson stated.
Hundreds of critical systems across the airport had to be safely powered down and rebooted methodically. Given Heathrow’s vast operational scale, resuming normal service after such a significant outage was a formidable challenge.
Government Addresses Shutdown Decision
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander weighed in on the disruption, confirming that the decision to suspend flights was made by Heathro itself.
During an interview on Breakfast, Alexander explained that Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, informed her on Friday morning that the fire had caused substantial power supply issues, particularly affecting Terminals 2 and 4.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Trump Envoy Slams Keir Starmer’s Ukraine Plan With A Sharp Rebuke
“While there are multiple power supplies into the airport, the fire created a critical issue requiring reconfiguration of power sources. As a result, all systems had to be turned off and restarted safely,” Alexander said.
Woldbye previously noted that a backup transformer failed during the outage, necessitating a controlled shutdown of essential airport systems. This measure ensured a safe restructuring of power supplies from the remaining substations, further underscoring the complexity of the recovery process.
Kindly follow @surgezircuk on Instagram. On X (Twitter), follow @surgezircuk.
Why you can trust SurgeZirc UK. Learn more about our editorial standards.
