Our businesses
Our principal operations are the ownership and operation of regulated electricity and gas infrastructure networks in the UK and the US, serving around 19 million consumers directly and many more indirectly.
Transmission
UK
The transmission of electricity and gas in the UK as owner and operator of the high voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, the gas national transmission system in Great Britain, the electricity interconnector with France and storage facilities for LNG. Operator of the electricity transmission networks in Scotland.
US
The transmission of electricity in the northeastern US as owner of high voltage electricity transmission networks in upstate New York and in New England.
This year we have delivered more than £1.4 billion worth of electricity and gas projects to upgrade and reinforce ageing infrastructure and adapt our networks to cope with changing sources of energy.
Our fundamental priorities remain safety, reliability and efficiency. We have also created an enhanced line of sight from National Grid’s objectives to Transmission’s objectives and annual priorities.
We are focused on the long-term security of supply and environmental challenges arising from the transition to a low carbon economy and the decline of UK gas production from the North Sea.
- Adjusted operating profit £1,301m
- Capital investment £1,441m
- Employees 3,874
- UK energy transmitted 1,454 TWh
Gas Distribution
UK
The distribution of gas in England as owner and operator of four of Great Britain’s eight gas distribution networks.
US
The distribution of gas in the northeastern US as owner and operator of gas distribution networks in upstate New York, New York City, Long Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
We continue to share best practice ideas between the UK and US to improve our operating model and make it more consistent.
In the UK, we are one year into the new price control period, which will bring considerable challenge and opportunity over the remaining four years as we look to become more efficient and effective.
Once again, we have achieved our objective to replace metallic main with plastic this year, totalling over 1,900 kilometres in the UK, and reduced the amount of cast iron and unprotected steel mains by 398 kilometres in the US, improving the safety and reliability of our networks.
- Adjusted operating profit £1,284m
- Capital investment £1,019m
- Employees 9,534
- Gas delivered 522 TWh
Electricity Distribution & Generation
US
The distribution and generation of electricity in the northeastern US as owner of electricity distribution networks in upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, as operator and manager of the electricity transmission and distribution network in Long Island on behalf of the Long Island Power Authority, and as a generator of electricity on Long Island.
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We continue to invest in our distribution and generation systems creating sustained improvements in our system reliability.
We are focused on building a branded customer experience that demonstrates our commitment to our customers and educates them on the environmental impact they have. We believe that increased energy efficiency and deployment of smart technologies are the best ways to help our customers control their energy costs while addressing the effects of climate change.
We are seeking regulatory agreements that decouple our revenue from customer energy usage. With decoupling, we can enable increased energy efficiency for our customers without reducing our revenue stream.
- Adjusted operating profit £265m
- Capital investment £355m
- Employees 7,950
- Energy saved through energy efficiency measures 275 GWh
Non-regulated businesses and other
Other services related to our main operations, principally in the UK. They do not constitute a segment so are reported, together with other operations and corporate activities, as ‘other activities’.
UK
Principally metering services, property management, our LNG importation terminal on the Isle of Grain, and the construction and operation of an electricity interconnector between The Netherlands and the UK through our BritNed joint venture.
US
Includes LNG storage, LNG road transportation, unregulated transmission pipelines, US gas fields and home energy services.
This year has seen further expansion activity at our liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation terminal on the Isle of Grain. Through the commissioning of phase II, the site now has annual import capacity of 9.9 million tonnes. We are continuing to invest in Grain LNG and by 2010, with the phase III expansion, it will have the capacity to import 14.8 million tonnes per annum, around 20% of the UK's forecast gas demand.
During the year, approximately 645,000 new meters were installed by OnStream, our competitive metering business, comprising approximately 375,000 gas and 270,000 electricity meters.
We are undergoing a programme of land remediation at many of our brownfield sites, including legacy gas sites.
- Adjusted operating profit £65m
- Capital investment £427m
- Employees 3,597*
- LNG imported to the UK through Isle of Grain (tonnes) 1,229,000
- *
- Excluding shared services employees