Airport facilities regain power, seven hours prior to the resumption of flights at Terminal 5 of Heathrow.
Heathrow airport's power underwent a mysterious shutdown due to a substation fire near North Hyde, leaving thousands stranded and questioning the safety of the UK's energy grid. The six-week investigation spearheaded by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) has yet to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire that went down on March 20, 2025.
Despite the unknown origins of the conflagration, the interim report ruled out any signs of dangerous activity. The fire engulfed three supergrid transformers, leaving over 69,000 customers, including Heathrow Airport and surrounding areas, without power for nearly a day.
As the fire broke out, one of the transformers disconnected, or "tripped," at 11:21 PM. Later confirmations revealed that the tripped transformer had also caught fire. Horrifyingly, the adjacent transformer soon followed suit, causing both to disconnect simultaneously, plunging all connections from North Hyde 275kV substation into darkness.
Heathrow Airport was forced to cease operations for seven hours while power was restored to the broader Heathrow Airport network at 2:23 PM. Flights recommenced around 6 PM, but not before a stringent "safety checking" process was conducted to assure the airport's "safety-critical systems."
The incident leaves many burning questions for National Grid, the substation's owner, and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, the agency responsible for the area's power distribution. Heathrow Airport spokesperson emphasized the importance of understanding the fire's origin to ensure future energy grid resilience.
Minister of Energy, Ed Miliband, who initiated the investigation, highlighted the potential for lessons to strengthen the country's infrastructure. Despite the preliminary report's findings, the complete report, expected by the end of June, will shed light on the cause and provide valuable insights.
- The National Grid, as the owner of North Hyde substation, and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, responsible for power distribution in the area, face a multitude of questions following the Heathrow Airport power outage.
- The safety-critical systems at Heathrow Airport underwent a comprehensive checking process after the power outage, ensuring operations could safely resume.
- The policymakers and legislators, including Energy Minister Ed Miliband, are urging for lessons to be learned from the Heathrow incident in order to strengthen the country's infrastructure and energy grid resilience.
- The comprehensive investigation into the Heathrow power outage is expected to be completed by the end of June, with hopes that the final report will provide answers on the cause and recommendations for improvements in policy and legislation.
