West London business groups have expressed their lack of surprise at the recent power outage at Heathrow Airport, attributing it to warnings they had previously issued about the strain on the power network in the area. Members of the West London Business group had raised concerns with National Grid, the National Energy System Operator (NESO), and watchdog Ofgem regarding the insufficient electricity capacity in the region and the oversubscription of the energy supply. The outage was caused by a substation fire in Hayes, west London, leading to the closure of Heathrow Airport.
Despite National Grid’s assurance that two other substations remained operational and capable of powering the airport, the incident raised questions about the region’s power supplies. While Heathrow’s chief executive pointed out that the shutdown was not due to a power shortage but rather the time taken to switch between damaged and operational substations, Andrew Dakers, chief executive of West London Business, emphasized the ongoing issue of power supplies in the area. He emphasized the need for ministerial oversight of National Grid upgrades and a faster implementation process to support the region’s growth and infrastructure development.
The fragility of the network highlighted by the incident was not a surprise to Dakers, who emphasized the importance of a reliable power supply to facilitate investment, housing development, and infrastructure projects in the region. The situation in west London has been described as “woeful” by Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, leader of Hounslow Council, who criticized the lack of investment in infrastructure by the previous government. Rajawat highlighted the challenges faced by developers in connecting to local power supplies, with some even resorting to buying electricity from distant sources and digging trenches for wiring.
The power outage incident at Heathrow and the surrounding areas has prompted three inquiries by the government, London Fire Brigade, and Heathrow Airport. The authorities are working to understand the lessons learned from the incident to improve the resilience of Great Britain’s energy system. It remains a pressing issue for businesses, politicians, and stakeholders to address the capacity and capability challenges within the west London power network to support future growth and development in the region
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