Hackers linked to Iran shut down a small British power plant for four days in July 2026, in what is believed to be the first cyberattack of its kind against UK energy infrastructure. The attack was first reported by The Telegraph and subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets including The Guardian, BBC, and CNBC.

The incident involved a small-scale energy generator rather than a major power station. A UK government spokesperson said: 'This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system. The UK has a highly resilient energy system.'

The attack represents a significant escalation in Iran's cyber capabilities and willingness to target Western critical infrastructure. It comes amid rising geopolitical tensions after the UK gave permission for the US to launch 'defensive' operations against Tehran from British bases. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned that 'any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces.'

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is understood not to have received any reported outages from regulated operators of power stations, suggesting the attack targeted a smaller, potentially less regulated facility. The Conservatives described the incident as reflecting a 'new kind of warfare' that underscored the need for Britain to prioritise 'cheap, reliable energy.'

Cybersecurity experts have noted that the attack demonstrates the growing sophistication of state-sponsored cyber operations against energy infrastructure. The US government had previously issued warnings about cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure by hackers linked to the IRGC, including a 2023 campaign attributed to a group known as 'CyberAv3ngers' that compromised at least 75 devices across multiple infrastructure sectors.

Sources