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Heathrow substation fire caused by moisture in electrics: Report
WEST LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 2 – Ofgem opened an enforcement investigation into National Grid after a preventable fault detected in 2018 caused a transformer fire that disrupted over 270,000 passenger journeys at Heathrow.
- A fire broke out on March 20, 2025, at National Grid's 275kV substation near Heathrow Airport, forcing the airport's closure on March 21.
- The fire resulted from a catastrophic failure of a high voltage transformer bushing caused by moisture ingress first detected in 2018 but left unaddressed.
- Forensic analysis by National Grid and London Fire Brigade confirmed that moisture caused an electrical fault that led to arcing, igniting the oil and causing the fire.
- Energy Minister Ed Miliband described the findings as "deeply concerning," while Ofgem has initiated an enforcement probe into potential licence violations related to infrastructure maintenance shortcomings.
- The report prompted 28 recommendations to enhance Britain's energy system resilience, while Heathrow and National Grid committed to preventing similar disruptions in the future.
111 Articles
111 Articles
Report: Heathrow Emergency Was Entirely Avoidable
How much chaos can an instance of deferred maintenance cause? The UK's National Grid is finding out. A fire that shut down London's Heathrow Airport for more than 16 hours in March has been traced to a transformer fault first flagged by the local power provider seven years earlier, according...
Fire That Led to Heathrow Airport Shutdown Caused by Poor Maintenance: Report
A fire that shut down London’s Heathrow Airport in March was caused by a failure to maintain an electricity substation, an official report released July 2 states. The closure of Europe’s busiest airport cost airlines tens of millions of dollars and left thousands of passengers stranded. At the time, there was widespread speculation in the media that the fire had been caused by Russian sabotage. However, the report by the National Energy System O…
The UK's energy system operator points to "obsolete regulation" and "inadequate safety mechanisms" after the 21 March fire at one of the world's largest airports.
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