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Written by: John Burke and AI assistance

Category: UK Energy Security

Published: 21 March 2025

Last Updated: 15 November 2025

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• Over-reliance on Electricity
• Twin Substations did not Help
• Resilience Issues
• Where next to Occur?

The catastrophic sub station fire in Hayes, London - which supplies Heathrow Airport has demontrated several issues.

The catastrophic substation fire in Hayes, London, on March 21, 2025, which disrupted power to Heathrow Airport and thousands of surrounding homes, has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the region’s energy infrastructure. This incident has grounded flights, affected over 1,300 scheduled operations, and highlighted systemic issues in power supply reliability, backup systems, and resilience planning. The key issues demonstrated by this event and additionally Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as a potential alternative, focusing on its relevance to this scenario.

Issues Demonstrated by the Hayes Substation Fire

1. Single Point of Failure in Power Infrastructure
   The fire at the North Hyde substation, which supplies Heathrow—one of the world’s busiest airports—revealed a significant dependency on a centralized power source. When the substation failed, it not only cut power to the airport but also impacted over 16,300 homes initially, with around 4,900 still without power by early Friday morning. The fact that a single incident could paralyze such a critical transport hub and a large residential area underscores the fragility of relying heavily on one substation without sufficient redundancy.
2. Inadequate Backup Systems
   UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband noted that the fire was so severe it damaged "the potential backup generation" for Heathrow, rendering contingency measures ineffective. This suggests that the existing backup systems—likely diesel generators or secondary grid connections—were either insufficiently robust or too closely tied to the primary substation’s infrastructure. The inability to quickly switch to an alternative power source prolonged the airport’s closure and disrupted global travel networks.
3. Logistical and Economic Fallout
   The closure of Heathrow until midnight on March 21 has led to over 1,300 flight cancellations or diversions, stranding passengers and creating a "logistical nightmare" for airlines. The ripple effects extend globally, with flights from as far as Singapore, the US, and Australia diverted or canceled. Locally, the power outage disrupted businesses and households, amplifying the economic cost. This highlights the broader consequences of energy infrastructure failures in critical areas.
4. Lack of Resilience to Extreme Events
   Despite upgrades to the North Hyde substation in 2021, which included new transformers and circuits to enhance reliability, the system still succumbed to a "catastrophic" fire. The cause remains under investigation, but the incident raises questions about whether current infrastructure is designed to withstand rare but severe events—whether accidental, environmental, or otherwise. Aging equipment could further exacerbate such risks.
5. Delayed Response and Recovery
   Although the London Fire Brigade brought the blaze under control by 6:28 GMT, power restoration efforts by National Grid have been slow, with no clear timeline for full recovery. This reflects challenges in repairing complex electrical infrastructure under emergency conditions and the difficulty of rerouting power from alternative sources in a timely manner.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as an Alternative

Combined Heat and Power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is a decentralized energy system that simultaneously generates electricity and useful heat from a single fuel source, typically natural gas, biomass, or biogas. Unlike traditional power plants that waste heat as a byproduct, CHP captures it for heating or cooling purposes, achieving efficiencies of up to 80-90% compared to 30-50% for conventional grid systems. Here’s how CHP could address the issues exposed by the Hayes fire, with emphasis on its potential role at Heathrow and beyond:

1. Decentralized Power Generation
   Installing CHP units at or near Heathrow could reduce reliance on a single external substation like North Hyde. By generating power on-site, the airport could maintain operations during grid failures, mitigating the single-point-of-failure risk. For instance, a CHP plant sized to meet Heathrow’s base load (estimated at tens of megawatts for such a large facility) could keep critical systems—runways, terminals, and air traffic control—running independently.
2. Enhanced Backup and Resilience
   CHP systems can serve as a robust backup or primary power source, operating in "island mode" during outages. Unlike the compromised backup generators in this incident, a well-designed CHP system could be isolated from external grid failures and fueled independently (e.g., via gas pipelines or stored fuel). Pairing CHP with battery storage could further ensure uninterrupted power during transitions or fuel supply disruptions.
3. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
   Heathrow’s extensive heating and cooling needs—terminals, hangars, and support facilities—make it an ideal candidate for CHP. The captured heat could replace less efficient boilers, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions. For example, a gas-fired CHP unit could supply electricity to the airport while piping hot water or steam to heat buildings, cutting reliance on grid electricity and standalone heating systems.
4. Reduced Grid Strain
   By generating power locally, CHP could alleviate demand on the National Grid, particularly during peak times or emergencies. This would benefit surrounding areas like Hayes and Hounslow, where thousands of homes lost power. A network of smaller CHP installations across critical infrastructure and communities could distribute the load, preventing widespread outages when a substation fails.
5. Environmental Benefits
   While the immediate focus post-fire is reliability, CHP offers a greener alternative to traditional grid power, especially if fueled by renewable biogas or paired with solar thermal systems. Heathrow, which handled 83.9 million passengers in 2024, has sustainability goals that CHP could support by lowering its carbon footprint compared to coal- or gas-heavy grid electricity.

Challenges of Implementing CHP in This Context

• Initial Investment: Retrofitting Heathrow with CHP requires significant upfront costs for equipment, installation, and integration. However, long-term savings and reliability gains could justify this, especially for a high-stakes facility.
• Space Constraints: Airports are space-intensive, and finding room for CHP units could be tricky, though modular systems exist that might fit within existing infrastructure.
• Fuel Dependency: Most CHP systems rely on natural gas, introducing a dependency on gas networks or storage. Diversifying fuel sources (e.g., biogas, oil, aviation fuels, or hydrogen(??)) could mitigate this.
• Regulatory and Planning Hurdles: Deploying CHP would need approval from local authorities, National Grid, and aviation regulators, potentially delaying implementation.

Conclusion

The Hayes substation fire has laid bare the risks of centralized power dependency, inadequate backups, and insufficient resilience in critical infrastructure like Heathrow Airport. CHP offers a compelling alternative by decentralizing power generation, enhancing efficiency, and providing a reliable backup. For Heathrow, a tailored CHP system could ensure operational continuity during grid failures while supporting sustainability goals. Beyond the airport, deploying CHP in surrounding areas could bolster community resilience, reducing the cascading impacts seen in this incident. While not a panacea, CHP merits serious consideration as part of a broader strategy to rethink energy infrastructure in the wake of such a disruptive event.

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Written by: J C Burke

Category: UK Energy Security

Published: 16 December 2024

Last Updated: 15 November 2025

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• Decentralised Power
• Decentralised Solar
• Decentralised Hydro
• Decentralised Wind
• Balanced Energy Provision

...Equally applies to wind, hydro as well

From the US they have noticed the problems with Industrial scale Renewables, the Grid and Instability.

"As the U.S. begins a major push to become the leading player in the global solar revolution, the topic of sprawling solar farms built away from communities vs. small and medium scale solar arrays utilising rooftops and smaller parcels of already developed or degraded land is becoming an increasingly important issue."

"Small and medium scale solar power has the potential to become the Internet of distributed electricity generation – a network resilient to a single point of failure; whether caused by natural disasters or attack by hostile parties."

But this aspect only scratches the surface – decentralised solar {as well as Wind and Hydro} power offers a multitude of other benefits over large scale plants;

• including avoiding “line loss” and heat losses from transformers, associated with remote generation,
• reduction in infrastructure investment {GRID}
• while offering major permanent job creation potential and
• avoiding damage to wildlife habitats, loss of farmlands.

Instead of appropriating undisturbed public lands or utilising productive agricultural land for solar power generation on a massive scale, better use can be made of the very much under-utilised sea of rooftops in our towns and cities. Furthermore, in the UK the brownfield sites, commercial buildings within ctown/city centres offers direct in-building benefits.

Read more: Decentralised Solar vs Centralised Solar

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Written by: J C Burke

Category: UK Energy Security

Published: 27 March 2024

Last Updated: 15 November 2025

Hits: 4667

First and foremost the UK has several grids:

• The National Grid {Electricity Pylons and Infrastructure} Electricity is a Secondary Energy Medium
• The Gas Grid {Natural Gas - mostly methane, but other gases too in this "mix"} Natural GAS is a Primary Energy Source
• The Aviation Fuel and Oil Pipelines {as Refined Primary Energy Sources}
• Fibre Backbone - Communication and Control {including some of the above}

"National Gas Transmission is the backbone of Britain’s energy system today and we are working to play a leading role in the transition to a clean energy future that works for every home and business. We own and operate the national gas network, delivering energy to where it is needed in every part of the country."

"Gas is currently a critical part of Britain's energy needs. We keep households warm and underpin their quality of life. For business, we fuel growth and innovation, and we are looking to the future by developing the hydrogen transmission system of tomorrow." {more about the problems with Hydrogen Transmission - at the expense of Natural Gas -  later}

But the Electricity Grid has a large % of electricity provided by the GAS GRID!

1. "More clean energy for all: The Great Grid Upgrade will enable the electricity grid to carry more clean energy to communities in every part of England and Wales, helping us all reach net zero faster."
2. "A grid that's fit for the future: As we continue to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and increase clean energy generation, we’ll be using more electricity than ever. That means we’ll need a grid that’s able to carry all this extra electricity to wherever we might need it."

These are great marketing "messages" {or social massages} but not everything here makes logical sense! Now that "fossil fuels" have been discovered on Titan!

"Saturn's moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than ALL THE KNOWN OIL AND NATURAL GAS RESERVES ON EARTH, according to new data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft." Source NASA 2008 So can we all dispense with the misnomer "Fossil Fuels" now?

So here lies the nub of the problem; DISINFORMATION - and predominantly from Governments and many agenda driven agencies. 

So we need a coherent and INCLUSIVE energy strategy;

that includes generation/production/discovery {of primary energy}, distribution, Delivery and Efficient Technologies!

First Major Issue is the INEFFICIENCY of our {Mainly} CENTRALISED POWER GENERATION SYSTEM.

See previous articles to understand where the energy 'liberated' at the {traditional Power Station {Gas, Oil, Coal} Net Zero; EV Infrastructure Needs; Live Generation Mix - {this needs to be viewed at various times of the day & night}; AT BEST ONLY 35-40% of the Heat energy from Gas. oil or coal is used the generate ELECTRICITY {similar to the USA too}

So Centralised Power Generation is INEFFICIENT - therefore Expanding the Electricity Grid need to be considered within this context. So National Grid powered EVs and Heat Pumps can never be considered efficient and comparable with other sources of DECENTRALISED ENERGY GENERATION. Indeed many more householders must turn towards their own "Off-GRID" energy provision {Solar Thermal Panels, Solar PV Panels, Small Scale Wind {VAWT} and even Mini/Micro Hydro where applicable. 

But the fakery of the current messages - and artificially inflated energy prices to the consumer must be challenged. We are all being taken as fools! The false gods of Climate change, CO₂ reductions, 'Carbon Capture', Net Zero, Climate Emergency, Fossil Fuels and Just Stop must be cast out {of the church of logic}!! All this is simply {false} marketing-hype! in fact the cynicism is so bad, that they have truncated CO₂ [Carbon Dioxide] to simply "Carbon" - which is you and I - is this a cull of the Human Race??.

Read more: Expanding the Grid - a One Dimensional Strategy

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Written by: J C Burke

Category: UK Energy Security

Published: 07 March 2023

Last Updated: 15 November 2025

Hits: 9676

A discussion regarding electricity production and energy efficiencies {mainly UK, but some USA}. AI is starting to learn - but needs to watch out for "settled-science" {an oxymoron} and the volume of material covering the "conventional wisdom." We have also added some additional commentary to help the {Child} AI as it learns, and to assist it to innovate, if this is possible.

Here are the questions asked of ChatGBT, and its corresponding answers. Some development of its answers have also been explored too. We found it a quite interesting exercise. But please note {with some alarm} AI's concern with "Regulatory Authorities", "Policy" and "Policy Makers" - the modern "evils" of our times!!

Q 1) Given that in winter the UK still needs 60% of electricity demand provided by Natural Gas and Coal, how can we reduce demand to allow renewable's to provide a greater percentage

1. There are several ways in which we can reduce the demand for natural gas and coal in the UK during the winter months to allow for renewable's to provide a greater percentage of our electricity supply: 
   1. Energy efficiency: The most effective way to reduce energy demand is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and appliances. This can be achieved through better insulation, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and more energy-efficient appliances. By reducing energy waste, we can lower our overall energy consumption and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. {an agenda driven statement indeed - bad AI!}
   2. Demand-side management: This involves shifting energy use to times when renewable energy sources are available, such as during periods of high wind or sunshine. This can be achieved through time-of-use tariffs, which incentivise customers to use energy during off-peak hours when renewable energy is more abundant. {pricing strategies are not an ideal route - old age pensioners could die with this approach, frightened to turn on their boilers} bad, bad, AI
   3. Energy storage: Battery storage technology is rapidly advancing, and large-scale battery storage can help to smooth out the intermittent supply of renewable energy. This allows excess renewable energy to be stored for use when demand is high, reducing the need for natural gas and coal. {Please add alternative "storage solutions, eg. "pumped storage" as at Dinorwig Peak Lopping _ too much battery talk AI!}
   4. Smart grids: Smart grids can help to manage the supply and demand of energy more efficiently. By using advanced sensors and communications technology, smart grids can match energy demand with the available supply of renewable energy.
   5. More renewable energy generation: Of course, the ultimate solution is to increase the amount of renewable energy generation in the UK. This can be achieved through a combination of onshore and offshore wind, solar, and other renewable sources, such as hydro-power and geothermal. With more renewable energy generation, the need for natural gas and coal can be gradually phased out. We threw this statement straight back at AI, as no time scale aspects have been considered - its almost a "slogan" not information - but the "blame" here lies with those promoting this mis-information {generally at State level}

Q 2) "With more renewable energy generation, the need for natural gas and coal can be gradually phased out." Please critique this statement given the timescale involved to achieve these targets 

Read more: Interview with AI Chat Bot