Heathrow had ‘enough power’ to stay open, UK grid boss says, igniting infrastructure debate
The National Grid confirmed Heathrow had sufficient power available via other substations, sparking debate on airport infrastructure reliability and backup systems
The head of the UK’s national grid has said there was “enough power” to keep Heathrow Airport running on Friday, after an electrical substation fire closed Europe’s busiest air hub.
The shutdown – which lasted most of the day – affected thousands of passengers around the world and raised questions about the reliability of one of the UK’s key pieces of infrastructure.
National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew told the Financial Times on Sunday that power had remained available to the airport in west London through two other substations.
“There was no lack of capacity from the substations,” he said. “Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow.”
“Losing a substation is a unique event – but there were two others available.”
Airport officials defended its handling of Friday’s shutdown, rejecting assertions it had enough backup power to remain open.