The closure of Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, cost airlines tens of millions of pounds. It also raised questions about the resilience of Britain’s infrastructure.
The report follows a review of the March 21 incident by the National Energy System Operator, which manages the electricity network and was separated from National Grid last year.
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Despite detecting an elevated moisture reading in one of the bushings in 2018, which indicates an imminent fault that requires the component to be replaced, the company did not fix the issue, the report said.
A National Grid spokesperson said that the company had a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance programme in place and that it had taken further action since the fire.
Ofgem plans to review whether National Grid complied with the relevant legislation and licence conditions relating to the development and maintenance of its electricity system close to Heathrow.
In an emailed response to the report, Heathrow blamed the incident on a “combination of outdated regulation, inadequate safety mechanisms, and National Grid’s failure to maintain its infrastructure”.
Its own review found in May that the airport had responded well to the power outage, saying alternative choices would not have materially changed the outcome on the day.
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