Responding on behalf of the government to a question from Labour Lord Brooker, Viscount Younger of Leckie said HSE officials had been advised that “neutral current diversions [NCD] are a known phenomenon and can occur for a number of reasons”.
Younger added that the HSE had “monitored developments carefully and continues to do so”. However, he said officials “were of the view that no additional action is required by the regulator to manage this risk of neutral current diversion at the present time”.
Experts have said the response is disappointing and have called for more transparency.
In February, several electrical experts told E&T that there was a real risk of deadly gas explosions and fires in the UK due to NCD. They argued that the HSE needed to acknowledge the risks of NCD so that a programme of testing can be implemented – and life-saving upgrades made to the grid.
An NCD can occur on the network when the combined protective earthing and neutral...