When the lights go out: why small businesses must prioritise continuity planning

The recent widespread power outages across Spain and Portugal, coupled with the earlier disruption at London’s Heathrow Airport, serve as stark reminders of the vulnerabilities in our modern infrastructure. For small businesses, these events highlight just how vital it is to have robust continuity plans in place.

On 28 April 2025, a major power outage hit Spain and Portugal, plunging millions into darkness and causing significant disruption across both countries. Cities including Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon experienced major transport shutdowns, communications failures, and service interruptions. While the cause is still being investigated, early suggestions that it was due to a rare atmospheric event have since been questioned. Regardless of the cause, the disruption had a very real economic impact, with Spain’s self-employed workers alone estimated to have lost up to €1.3 billion in a matter of hours.

Only a few weeks earlier, a fire at a key electrical substation in west London triggered a similar crisis at Heathrow Airport. More than 1,000 flights were cancelled, affecting over 200,000 passengers. Critically, backup power systems failed to activate as expected, leaving the airport’s systems and operations paralysed. The event drew significant criticism, especially as warnings had been raised about power supply vulnerabilities just days before the outage.

For small businesses, the lesson is clear. A serious disruption to power or connectivity can stop operations in their tracks, wiping out revenue and damaging customer trust. Without secure and up-to-date backups, critical data can be lost in seconds. If suppliers or platforms are caught up in the same issue, delays and missed deadlines quickly follow. Unlike larger organisations, small businesses often don’t have the resources to absorb such shocks easily.

Proactive Measures for Resilience

To reduce exposure to these risks, small businesses should consider implementing the following steps:

1. Develop a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

This should outline how your business will operate during different types of disruptions, including power outages, IT failures, and supply chain interruptions.

2. Invest in Backup Power Solutions

Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and backup generators can help maintain critical systems during short- to medium-term outages.

3. Implement Data Backup Protocols:

Regular, automated backups stored securely offsite or in the cloud are essential to protect vital business information.

4. Diversify Supply Chains

Avoid reliance on single suppliers or service providers by building redundancy into your supply chain.

5. Train Employees

Staff should be well-versed in the steps to take during an emergency to ensure a quick and organised response.

The events in Spain, Portugal and at Heathrow may have affected different sectors in different ways, but the underlying message is the same: outages and disruptions are not a matter of if, but when. For small businesses, the time to prepare is before the lights go out.