Speeches by Esterson.

“Alice Delahunty, we are hearing that concern that it is a reason for private networks being used by significant energy users. Is it a concern for you?”

“Yes, you have told us that. Your point is that it would just be that much more difficult for you to do.”

“Other airports elsewhere in the world are able to do it, but it is prohibitive for you.”

“Yes, the two reports are consistent; you are correct. Nigel Wicking, is this something you have been looking at?”

“The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy published a report in 2022 saying that power outages have the potential to cause widespread economic and societal damage. Have any of you been looking at the work of the JCNSS and Heathrow in particular, and did you consider its findings?”

“Likewise, you have no concerns around future grid connections and the effect they will have.”

“There is no overloading because you are under pressure to make those connections.”

“Can you confirm that overloading of the network was not the cause, or even a factor, and that, as the grid expands with the Government’s Clean Power 2030 agenda, this will not be a cause for concern?”

“So, as far as you are concerned, the substations are critical national infrastructure?”

“Are the three we are talking about critical national infrastructure?”

“But not the substations.”

“I am assuming it is not currently at that status.”

“Should the supply into something as significant as Heathrow be critical national infrastructure, and regarded as such?”

“Perhaps both SSEN and Heathrow can confirm this point about how much visibility there is, because you have contradicted each other there. I will not ask you to continue. Should the electricity infrastructure be critical national infrastructure where it is supplying such a major transport network?”

“Do the rest of the panel have anything to add to Nigel Wicking’s comments there?”

“Thank you. That is helpful. To this point that Elsie Blundell mentioned about the role of the public sector, what should Government and industry be doing together to mitigate the risks and effects of power outages that have the potential to cause so much disruption, as we have just seen?”

“Nigel Wicking, I suspect that you take a slightly different view there.”

“You think that even for a strategically important piece of infrastructure. I am sorry, but the analogy does not stand up.”

“That would have been a good idea, would it not? Eliane Algaard, you mentioned the fact that you cannot see behind the connections. Should you be able to?”

“You have not done so far.”