Heathrow Airport came to a complete standstill recently after a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation knocked out its power. Over 1,300 flights were cancelled, affecting nearly 290,000 passengers—one of the worst disruptions in recent memory. But with National Grid saying the airport had access to backup power, people are now asking: could Heathrow have avoided the chaos with better power solutions?
One thing this incident highlights is the importance of portable power. Airports rely heavily on a stable energy supply, but when the grid fails, they need reliable alternatives. Heathrow does have backup systems but the fact that the airport remained shut suggests they either weren’t strong enough or weren’t deployed effectively. This raises the question; should major infrastructure like airports invest more in portable power solutions, such as mobile generators, battery storage units, or even microgrids?
Has come a long way, with modern solutions offering clean, instant energy that could have helped Heathrow recover faster. For example, large-scale battery storage could have kept essential airport functions running, while mobile generators could have supplied power to key systems until the main grid was restored. We’re in the business of backup energy so we should know a thing or two about it.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for an investigation into the airport’s resilience, and part of that should focus on whether Heathrow’s backup power strategy is up to the task. As air travel continues to grow, airports must rethink how they handle unexpected power failures and portable power might just be the key to keeping flights in the air when disaster strikes.
We may not be able to power an airport, but we can definitely hold your laptop up for a few hours! Check out our range! 🙂
References
Google. (2025). Gemini (Imagen 3) [AI image generator]. https://ai.google.dev/gemini
The Guardian. (2025, March 25). Counter-terror police say fire that shut down Heathrow airport not suspicious. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/25/counter-terror-police-say-fire-that-shut-down-heathrow-airport-not-suspicious
Financial Times. (2025, March 25). Metropolitan Police ends ‘criminal’ probe into substation fire that closed Heathrow airport. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/7119ee65-e71b-4a85-85d4-0ec7d93da8b7
Reuters. (2025, March 25). Heathrow Airport fire not a criminal matter, UK police say. Retrieved from
