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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Heathrow could SUE National Grid after fault that caused fire was identified seven years ago
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HEATHROW may sue the National Grid after a probe found a fault causing the huge substation fire was identified seven years ago. The blaze in March halted flights for 24 hours — affecting 270,000 passengers and costing the airport millions. A probe by the National Energy System Operator found faulty fire safety equipment and moisture in electrical parts flagged in 2018 were not addressed, and maintenance was delayed again in 2022. The North Hyde substation fire was caused by 'catastrophic failure' in a transformer, triggered by moisture entering electrical components. Heathrow's network was not designed to recover quickly. The airport said it was making improvements. Energy watchdog Ofgem has now launched a probe into the National Grid, which could result in fines. Heathrow said: 'A combination of outdated regulation, inadequate safety mechanisms and National Grid's failure to maintain infrastructure led to this catastrophic power outage.' National Grid said it had 'taken action'. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called the findings 'concerning' and promised action to prevent similar incidents. Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, handled over 83.9million passengers in 2024. 1 Heathrow may sue the National Grid after a probe found a fault causing the huge substation fire was identified seven years ago Credit: AP Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Tech fault known about for years caused fire that shut Heathrow
A fire at a power substation that led to the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights at the UK's Heathrow Airport was caused by a preventable technical fault identified almost seven years earlier, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report by the National Energy System Operator stated that an "elevated moisture reading" had been detected in oil samples at the substation in west London in July 2018. However, no action was taken to replace the electrical insulators, commonly referred to as bushings. The March blaze was caused by a "catastrophic failure" in one of the transformers, according to the report's findings, "most likely caused by moisture entering the bushing causing a short circuit" that ignited the oil. The report also stated that Heathrow underestimated the likelihood of losing one of its three power sources. As a result, "its internal electrical distribution network was not designed or configured to take advantage of having multiple supply points to provide quick recovery following such a loss." Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said that the findings were "deeply concerning". Energy industry regulator Ofgem had opened an investigation into whether the substation's operator, National Grid Electricity Transmission, had breached its license condition, Miliband explained. National Grid said that Britain has "one of the most reliable networks in the world, and events of this nature are rare. National Grid has a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance program in place, and we have taken further action since the fire." Europe's busiest air hub was shut down for around 18 hours on 21 March after a fire at the North Hyde substation in west London the previous night knocked out power to the airport. More than 270,000 passengers had their journeys disrupted. Counterterrorism police initially led the investigation into the fire, which came as countries across Europe were on high alert against Russian-instigated sabotage. Although authorities quickly ruled out vandalism or sabotage, the fire's significant impact raised concerns about the resilience of Britain's energy system to accidents, natural disasters or attacks. The government ordered an investigation into "any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure."
Global News
2 days ago
- General
- Global News
Heathrow fire caused by preventable technical fault known for years: report
An electrical substation fire that shut down Heathrow Airport, canceling more than 1,300 flights, was caused by a preventable technical fault identified almost seven years earlier, a report found Wednesday. Europe's busiest air hub shut for about 18 hours in March after a fire knocked out one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power. More than 270,000 passengers had journeys disrupted. Counterterrorism police initially led the investigation into the fire, which came as authorities across Europe girded against sabotage backed by Russia. Though authorities quickly ruled out vandalism or sabotage, the fire's huge impact raised concern about the resilience of Britain's energy system to accidents, natural disasters or attacks. The government ordered an investigation into 'any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.' Story continues below advertisement 1:55 Heathrow airport in London fire causes major flight disruptions The report by the National Energy System Operator said that an 'elevated moisture reading' had been found in oil samples at the substation in west London in July 2018, but action wasn't taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It said that the March 20 blaze was caused by a 'catastrophic failure' in one of the transformers, 'most likely caused by moisture entering the bushing causing a short circuit' that ignited the oil. The report also said Heathrow underestimated the likelihood of losing one of its three power sources, and as a result, 'its internal electrical distribution network was not designed or configured to take advantage of having multiple supply points to provide quick recovery following such a loss.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said that the findings were 'deeply concerning.' He said that energy industry regulator Ofgem had opened an investigation into whether the substation's operator, National Grid Electricity Transmission, had breached its license conditions. Story continues below advertisement National Grid said that Britain has 'one of the most reliable networks in the world, and events of this nature are rare. National Grid has a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance program in place, and we have taken further action since the fire.'
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Fire that shut Heathrow was caused by a preventable technical fault known for years, report finds
LONDON (AP) — An electrical substation fire that shut down Heathrow Airport, canceling more than 1,300 flights, was caused by a preventable technical fault identified almost seven years earlier, a report found Wednesday. Europe's busiest air hub shut for about 18 hours in March after a fire knocked out one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power. More than 270,000 passengers had journeys disrupted. Counterterrorism police initially led the investigation into the fire, which came as authorities across Europe girded against sabotage backed by Russia. Though authorities quickly ruled out vandalism or sabotage, the fire's huge impact raised concern about the resilience of Britain's energy system to accidents, natural disasters or attacks. The government ordered an investigation into 'any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.' The report by the National Energy System Operator said that an 'elevated moisture reading' had been found in oil samples at the substation in west London in July 2018, but action wasn't taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings. It said that the March 20 blaze was caused by a 'catastrophic failure' in one of the transformers, 'most likely caused by moisture entering the bushing causing a short circuit' that ignited the oil. The report also said Heathrow underestimated the likelihood of losing one of its three power sources, and as a result, 'its internal electrical distribution network was not designed or configured to take advantage of having multiple supply points to provide quick recovery following such a loss.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said that the findings were 'deeply concerning.' He said that energy industry regulator Ofgem had opened an investigation into whether the substation's operator, National Grid Electricity Transmission, had breached its license conditions. National Grid said that Britain has 'one of the most reliable networks in the world, and events of this nature are rare. National Grid has a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance program in place, and we have taken further action since the fire.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Fire that shut Heathrow was caused by a preventable technical fault known for years, report finds
FILE -Smoke rises from the North Hyde electrical substation, which caught fire last night, leading to the closure of the Heathrow Airport, in London, March 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth), File) LONDON — An electrical substation fire that shut down Heathrow Airport, canceling more than 1,300 flights, was caused by a preventable technical fault identified almost seven years earlier, a report found Wednesday. Europe's busiest air hub shut for about 18 hours in March after a fire knocked out one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power. More than 270,000 passengers had journeys disrupted. Counterterrorism police initially led the investigation into the fire, which came as authorities across Europe girded against sabotage backed by Russia. Though authorities quickly ruled out vandalism or sabotage, the fire's huge impact raised concern about the resilience of Britain's energy system to accidents, natural disasters or attacks. The government ordered an investigation into 'any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.' The report by the National Energy System Operator said that an 'elevated moisture reading' had been found in oil samples at the substation in west London in July 2018, but action wasn't taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings. It said that the March 20 blaze was caused by a 'catastrophic failure' in one of the transformers, 'most likely caused by moisture entering the bushing causing a short circuit' that ignited the oil. The report also said Heathrow underestimated the likelihood of losing one of its three power sources, and as a result, 'its internal electrical distribution network was not designed or configured to take advantage of having multiple supply points to provide quick recovery following such a loss.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said that the findings were 'deeply concerning.' He said that energy industry regulator Ofgem had opened an investigation into whether the substation's operator, National Grid Electricity Transmission, had breached its license conditions. National Grid said that Britain has 'one of the most reliable networks in the world, and events of this nature are rare. National Grid has a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance program in place, and we have taken further action since the fire.'
