Heathrow Outage Cause Remains Unknown After Substation Fire

An interim report by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has found that the root cause of the March fire at a power substation near Heathrow Airport, which led to the airport's closure and disrupted hundreds of thousands of journeys, remains unknown. The blaze resulted in a power outage affecting nearly 67,000 customers and forced Heathrow to close for about 16 hours, with significant flight cancellations and delays. Investigations by NESO, the Metropolitan Police, and other agencies have so far ruled out suspicious activity or foul play, with forensic analyses ongoing. The interim report outlines ongoing inquiries into the substation's maintenance history, design standards, and Heathrow’s power network configuration, as well as the response and restoration efforts. Both government officials and airport authorities have called for lessons to be learned to strengthen UK energy resilience and prevent similar incidents in the future. A final, more detailed report with recommendations is expected by the end of June.