British engineers have issued an urgent warning that the nation's critical infrastructure is dangerously susceptible to extreme heatwaves, threatening power grids, data centres and transport networks. A joint report from the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Royal Academy of Engineering highlights that equipment designed for milder climates is failing under record temperatures, with transformers and cables degrading faster than anticipated.
The report's lead author, Dr. Helen Sharpe, stated: 'We are running a 20th-century grid with 21st-century weather. Our cooling systems for data centres were never built for 40°C days, and our railway signalling equipment literally warps in the heat.'
Key vulnerabilities include overhead power lines, which sag and short-circuit when temperatures exceed 35°C, and fibre-optic cables, whose signal integrity degrades above 40°C. Data centres, which already consume 1% of global electricity, face a double hit: increased demand for cooling and reduced efficiency of their own servers. The report warns that without investment in heat-resistant components and smart grid technologies, the UK could face rolling blackouts during future heatwaves.
The government has pledged £5 billion for grid modernisation, but engineers argue this is insufficient. Dr. Sharpe adds: 'We need to think about digital sovereignty here. If our data centres go down, so do our banking records, health systems and emergency services. Heat is a silent killer of the digital age.'
As climate change accelerates, this is not a distant problem. The Met Office predicts that 40°C days will become common by 2050. The question is whether our infrastructure can evolve fast enough to avoid a 'Black Mirror' scenario where technology designed to help us becomes our greatest vulnerability.
