How a UK project is using hybrid microgrids for port and airport power resilience

Project VOLT in the UK has received renewed funding from energy regulator Ofgem to test how hybrid microgrids can keep critical sites like ports, airports and digital infrastructure running during power outages, while easing pressure on the wider grid.

Just under a year ago, a substation fire-induced power outage caused chaos at London Heathrow airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe.

Over a thousand flight cancellations to the tune of tens of millions of pounds highlighted the criticality of making such infrastructure more resilient to outages.

Now, in the UK’s North East, a project run by LCP Delta is exploring how multi-vector microgrids, local energy systems combining renewable generation, storage, hydrogen and smart control technologies, can deliver cleaner, more flexible and more reliable power for high-energy users and such critical infrastructure.

This Project VOLT (Vector-Optimised Microgrid Operations for Industrial Low-carbon Transition) has entered its proof-of-concept phase, having been awarded an additional £500,000 ($683,485) from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).

In its prior discovery phase, it assessed the technical and economic potential of these systems to strengthen energy resilience, reduce operational costs and provide flexibility to both networks and end users.

Its next phase will inform regional energy planning and is focused on real-world sites and scalable solutions that work with existing energy networks, with early findings showing potential to cut peak power demand by up to 30%. 

It is also hoped to offer a blueprint for resilience for critical sites across Great Britain.

Partners and industrial sites

Led by LCP Delta on behalf of  Northern Powergrid, and involving Newcastle University, EDF, Northern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities, the project will now move into detailed modelling and analysis. 

It will work with a diverse group of commercial and industrial sites, including the Port of Tyne, Newcastle Airport, steel contractor Severfield, and Pulsant, a digital infrastructure operator supporting UK and global businesses. 

Using simulations, microgrids will be tested across the different sites. It will consider how energy demand, infrastructure constraints and planning decisions affect costs and network flexibility.

The new phase builds on earlier discovery work that looked at the financial, environmental and network benefits of microgrids. 

It found that sites could cut peak electricity demand by up to 30%, helping to ease pressure on the wider grid and avoid costly network upgrades. It also highlighted the potential for up to 80% reductions in carbon emissions and energy costs, depending on the site, as well as close to 100% coverage for critical operations during power outages.

The findings will provide insights into how local and national energy systems can work together more effectively and will help inform regional energy planning, decisions on future energy infrastructure and wider energy strategies in the North East and beyond. 

This next phase will help prepare for the transition to real-world trials.

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Commenting in a release was Emma Carr, Senior Consultant at LCP Delta and Project Director for VOLT:

“With demand rising, Project VOLT offers a real opportunity for regional and national networks to work together to strengthen infrastructure resilience.

“This phase allows us to work more closely with a wide range of industrial and commercial sites and set out a clear, practical route to real-world demonstrations, with the potential to be replicated across Great Britain and deliver wider economic value.”

Said Duncan Oliphant, Head of Commercial Flexibility at Northern Powergrid, said: “We’re proud to be leading VOLT as it progresses into its proof of concept phase. 

“Flexibility sits at the core of this project, helping us design solutions that genuinely support large energy users and critical sites while easing pressure on the wider grid. By enabling these sites to manage their energy more efficiently, we can reduce peak demand, improve resilience, and unlock capacity.”

According to Oliphant, the new round of funding from Ofgem will enable more in-depth testing, “strengthening the evidence base for cleaner, smarter and more reliable energy systems that can be scaled across the region and, ultimately, across Great Britain.”

Enhancing resilience for ports and airports

As demonstrated by Heathrow, ensuring the resilience of the types of sites is crucial.

Indeed, power failures, whether caused by grid instability, climate-related events, or technical faults, can have cascading impacts across transport and logistics networks.

Weeks before the funding update from LCP Delta, TT Club, a global freight and logistics mutual insurer, issued a warning that, with ageing energy grids and a growing reliance on digital and electrically powered systems, the threat of disruption is rising – bringing with it significant commercial, safety, and insurance implications. 

TT Club cites the 2025 Iberian Peninsula blackout, which starkly illustrated how the failure of a single transformer can halt transport operations across multiple countries for hours.

And with ports and airports seeking to decarbonise, they add, things become more complicated. 

Namely, as energy systems evolve to integrate renewable sources, the complexity of maintaining a continuous supply similarly increases.

Additionally, the insurer cites how recent uncertainty in global climate and energy policy – including setbacks to international efforts to decarbonise shipping – may also delay investments and coordination essential to stabilising future power networks. 

At the same time, ports are more dependent than ever on electrical systems for cranes, pumps, security, and digital operations, making them especially vulnerable when the lights go out.

To strengthen resilience and ensure business continuity during power disruptions, TT Club outlines the following key actions for ports and terminal operators:

• Conduct a criticality assessment to identify essential systems and acceptable downtimes.
• Add redundancy to IT infrastructure, ensuring vital systems and communication channels remain functional during outages.
• Establish robust emergency power and fuel plans, including maintained generators and backup batteries.
• Develop and train staff in safe shutdown procedures to prevent injury and equipment damage during a blackout.
• Strengthen communication resilience, such as maintaining VHF radios and paper-based contact lists in case networks fail.

Plan for recovery, recognising that restarting high-voltage systems must be managed carefully to avoid further damage.

TT Club emphasises that proactive planning – including regular drills and cross-departmental coordination – remains the most effective way to safeguard operations and personnel in the event of power loss.

Explained Harry Palmer, Risk Assessment Manager, TT Club: “Power outages are no longer rare or isolated, they’re an operational reality that every port and terminal must factor into its resilience planning.

“Preparing for both local and widespread blackouts, rehearsing safe shutdowns, and ensuring alternative communication methods are in place are essential steps to protect people, assets, and supply chains when the unexpected happens.”