Workers connected the mode of analyse electrical substation pursuing a occurrence astatine an electrical substation supplying powerfulness to the facility, successful London, United Kingdom connected March 21, 2025.
Rasid Necati Aslim | Anadolu | Getty Images
A occurrence that unopen Heathrow airdrome successful March, stranding thousands of passengers, was caused by National Grid's nonaccomplishment to support an energy substation, an authoritative study said connected Wednesday, prompting the vigor watchdog to unfastened a probe.
The closure of Heathrow, the busiest airdrome successful Europe, outgo airlines tens of millions of pounds. It besides raised questions astir the resilience of Britain's infrastructure.
Energy curate Ed Miliband said the study was "deeply concerning".
The study follows a reappraisal of the incidental connected March 21 by the National Energy System Operator, which manages the energy web and was separated from National Grid past year.
As a effect of the report, Britain's vigor regulator Ofgem launched an enforcement probe into National Grid Electricity Transmission, which owns and maintains the high-voltage energy transmission web successful England and Wales.
The study said its reappraisal had seen grounds that a "catastrophic failure" connected 1 of the transformer's precocious voltage bushings astatine National Grid Electricity Transmission's 275kV substation caused the transformer to drawback fire.
"This was astir apt caused by moisture entering the bushing, causing an electrical fault," it said.
It said National Grid controls successful spot were not effectual and failed to place that enactment had not been taken successful narration to an elevated moisture speechmaking successful 2018.
A National Grid spokesperson said that the institution had a broad plus inspection and attraction programme successful spot and that it had taken further enactment since the fire.
"There are important lessons to beryllium learnt astir cross-sector resilience and the request for accrued coordination," the spokesperson said.
Ofgem said the reappraisal had "established that the basal origin of the occurrence was a preventable, method fault".
It plans to reappraisal whether National Grid complied with the applicable authorities and licence conditions relating to the improvement and attraction of its energy strategy adjacent to Heathrow.
The regulator volition besides committee an autarkic audit into National Grid assets to reappraisal whether the failings were a one-off oregon systemic, it said.
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