Seven years of inaction before blaze

ENERGY watchdog Ofgem has launched an investigation after a report found a fire that caused the shutdown of Heathrow Airport was due to a pre-ventable technical fault.

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The report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said an “elevated moisture reading” had been found in oil samples at the North Hyde substation in west London in July 2018, but action was not taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings.

In 2022, a decision was made to “defer basic maintenance” at the substation, meaning the issue went “unaddressed”, the final report said.

Yesterday, Ofgem said it had opened an official enforcement investigation into National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) based on the Neso review’s findings.