Heathrow Knew Grid Failure Could Shut Airport for 12 Hours

Power Dependency Exposes Critical Weakness
Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest transport hubs in the world, has long relied on three connections to the UK’s national electricity grid—drawing as much power as a small city. Yet, airport officials have acknowledged that the loss of even one of those connections would force Heathrow to shut down for 10 to 12 hours while critical systems are reconnected to the remaining sources.

£1 Billion Fix Deemed Too Costly
Despite the high stakes, Heathrow previously chose not to invest in an estimated £1 billion infrastructure upgrade that would have eliminated the risk of total shutdown following a single point of failure. Officials deemed such a scenario unlikely, and therefore not justifying the significant expenditure.

NESO Calls for Improved Resilience
In a recent statement, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said Heathrow’s three grid connections offer “opportunities” to enhance resilience. The organization implied that while redundancy exists on paper, practical vulnerabilities remain that could—and should—be addressed to avoid future disruptions.

Potential National Impact
A prolonged shutdown of Heathrow could have serious consequences for the UK economy, global travel schedules, and national security. The revelation raises urgent questions about infrastructure priorities and risk management at a time when energy resilience is increasingly in the spotlight.

Calls for Reassessment
Experts and policymakers are now urging Heathrow to reconsider its stance and explore cost-effective ways to bolster its energy resilience, warning that relying on probabilities over preparedness could prove a costly miscalculation.