Overview

• Eight substations have burned in 2025, including North Hyde near Heathrow, causing widespread power interruptions and travel delays.
• NESO’s interim report in May found no definitive cause and its full analysis is scheduled for release by the end of June.
• Some security officials have suggested possible Russian sabotage, but experts with access to classified data report no evidence of foreign interference.
• Critics point to decades of underinvestment, highlighting that transmission firms underspent their capital expenditure allowance by 28 percent and distribution companies by 12 percent.
• The UK operates roughly 57,000 substations of 33 kilovolts or more, intensifying concerns that aging equipment may leave the grid vulnerable to faults or tampering.