Overview

• A fire at the North Hyde substation on March 21 caused a power outage, canceling over 1,300 flights and stranding 200,000 passengers at Heathrow Airport.
• Heathrow has resumed operations, with British Airways expecting a near-full schedule on March 23, though delays may persist for several days.
• Investigations led by the British government, NESO, and Heathrow are underway to determine the outage's causes, with initial findings expected within six weeks.
• Reports dating back to 2014 warned of Heathrow's reliance on limited power sources and insufficient on-site generation, risks that were not adequately addressed.
• The National Grid has announced measures to enhance network resilience following the incident, highlighting the need for improved critical infrastructure systems.