Government orders investigation into Heathrow power outage
A fire at a nearby substation led to a loss of power at the airport and in surrounding areas
Last updated 22nd Mar 2025
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has ordered the National Energy System Operator to "urgently investigate" the power outage caused by a substation fire that shut Heathrow Airport on Friday.
He is working with Ofgem and using powers under the Energy Act to formally launch the grid operator's investigation.
"We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned," Mr Miliband said.
"That is why, working with Ofgem, I have today commissioned the National Energy System Operator to carry out an investigation into this specific incident and to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure, both now and in the future.
"The Government is determined to do everything it can to prevent a repeat of what happened at Heathrow."
Flights resumed at the west London airport on Friday evening and restrictions on overnight flights were temporarily lifted after hours of closure.
A blaze knocked out an electricity substation in Hayes the previous evening.
Counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police, who have been leading the investigation into the fire, are not treating it as suspicious but inquiries are ongoing.
Heathrow CEO, Thomas Woldbye, said: "We welcome the National Energy System Operator's investigation into yesterday's National Grid electrical substation fire and on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure more broadly. We will support every effort to understand the causes and impacts of yesterday's off-airport incident and we are committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure a thorough investigation to help strengthen the airport's future resilience."
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