On Friday Europe’s busiest airport was brought to a standstill due to a substation inferno, leaving thousands stranded, hundreds of flights cancelled as well as 100 nearby residents evacuated
“There was no lack of capacity,” Pettigrew told the Financial Times.
“Two substations were always available for the distribution network companies and Heathrow to take power,”
“Losing a substation is a unique event — but there were two others available,” he said, adding “that is a level of resilience.”
Passengers queue to check-in bags in departures at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport (Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
Heathrow said while it was capable of running normally with power from two substations, it had to “reconfigure” networks to safely switch between outlets.
National Grid owns and operates substations around Heathrow, where electricity is sent, before being distributed to homes and business.
In a statement it said: “Since this unprecedented fire broke out at our North Hyde substation late on Thursday night, our teams have worked tirelessly and in close collaboration with the fire brigade and police to get the situation back under control.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband ordered the National Energy System Operator to “urgently investigate” the power outage in a bid build a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding this incident.
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