Environmental Information Regulations (“EIR”) 2004

Which National Grid Group companies are in scope of the EIR Regulations? 

Only some of our UK companies are in scope of the EIR Regulations and none of our USA companies are in scope. No National Grid Group company is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

 

The companies in scope for EIR are:  

National Grid Electricity Transmission plc, which owns, builds, and maintains the high voltage electricity transmission system in England and Wales. 

National Grid Electricity Distribution companies, which own, build, and maintain the medium and lower voltage electricity distribution systems in East and West Midlands, South West and Wales, which comprise the following:

  • National Grid Electricity Distribution (East Midlands) plc 

  • National Grid Electricity Distribution (West Midlands) plc 

  • National Grid Electricity Distribution (South Wales) plc 

  • National Grid Electricity Distribution (South West) plc  

Certain companies responsible for electricity interconnectors which comprise the following: 

  • National Grid Interconnectors Limited 

  • National Grid IFA2 Limited

  • BritNed Development Limited (a 50:50 incorporated joint venture with withTenneT Holding B.V.) 

  • Nemo Link Limited (a 50:50 incorporated joint venture with Elia Transmission Belgium) 

  • National Grid North Sea Link Limited 

  • National Grid Viking Link Limited 

  • National Grid Lion Link Limited  

  • National Grid Nautilus Limited 

 

What environmental information does NG Group publish? 

Our companies publish a wide range of environmental information, and these should be your first port of call when looking for information. See the following links here: 

National Grid plc: 

  • For more information on National Grid’s overarching environmental ambitions, visit this page here 

  • For more information on National Grid’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ambitions, visit this page here 

National Grid Electricity Transmission plc: 

  • For its Environmental Plan and yearly performance updates, visit this page here 

  • For more information on its ESG ambitions, visit this page here 

  • For more information on building strategic infrastructure and ‘The Great Grid Upgrade’ projects see link here 

National Grid Electricity Distribution: 

  • For more information on their approaches to Environmental Management, visit this page here  

If you are not sure which company your query relates to, or if you cannot find the environmental information you want, you may make a request under the EIR.  These regulations provide a right of access to ‘environmental information’ held by the companies in our Group that are in scope as explained above. 
 

What environmental information can I request?  

You are entitled to request from us environmental information that we hold on any of the following:  

  • the state of the elements of the environment and the interaction among these elements e.g., water, air, soil or land. 

  • factors affecting or likely to affect those elements e.g., radiation, noise, energy, or waste. 

  • measures or activities affecting, or likely to affect, those factors or elements, or designed to protect those elements. 

  • reports on the implementation of environmental legislation. 

  • cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of those measures and activities; and  

  • the state of human health and safety, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures in as much as they are or may be affected by those elements.  
     

Contact us: 

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published guidance on how to write an effective request for information here.  You may contact us in any of the following ways:  

  1. By Email to: [email protected](for any questions that do not concern electricity distribution). 

  2. By email to Electricity Distribution: [email protected] (for questions that do concern electricity distribution) 

  3. By telephone: 01926 653000 

  4. By Post: National Grid Legal Department (marked “EIR request”), National Grid House, Warwick Technology Park, Gallows Hill, Warwick, CV34 6DA. 

We aim to deal with your request as soon as possible, but in any event within 20 working days. If your request is particularly complex, we may extend this to 40 working days, and we will tell you if this is the case. 

You have the right to ask us for the information to be made available to you in a particular form or format when you make your request. If it is reasonable for us to provide it in that way, we will do so. Email is usually the most convenient method, but we may be able to provide printed copies or arrange for you to visit one of our offices to inspect or collect copies. 

Although there is a general presumption in favour of disclosing environmental information, the EIR set out various circumstances that sometimes allow us to withhold information. We will tell you within the statutory deadline if we are not disclosing the information you have requested, and we will explain why.  This could be because the information is not covered by the EIR, or an exception applies and the public interest in not disclosing it outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.   

Whatever the reason for non-disclosure, you can be sure that we will not only have considered your request very closely, but we will also have applied the public interest test when legally required to do so.  The information we provide in our response will be taken from the information we hold at the date the information was requested.  We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information and it should not be relied on for any purpose.  

If we are not clear on exactly what information you’re requesting, we will write to you to ask for clarification and to help steer you through the process. In that case, any relevant information will be provided within 20 working days of receiving your clarification. 
 

Charges 

We may make a reasonable charge for requests. Our charges will be based on the Information Commissioner's guidance.  The decision to charge will be made on a case-by-case basis, considering the time and cost involved. We may charge for:  

  • the costs of staff time involved in locating, retrieving, and extracting information in the required format, at a rate of £25 per hour. 

  • printing or copying at 10p per black and white, and 50p per colour A4 sheet. (Other formats may incur additional charges).  

  • Postage at 2nd class post rates. 

When we receive your request, we will advise on whether a fee applies and the expected cost. If you still wish to go ahead with your request, the information will be supplied on receipt of payment. If you don’t pay within 60 days of our telling you about the charges, we will automatically cancel your enquiry. 
 

Complaints (also known as internal reviews) 

If you have made a request for environmental information and think we have failed to comply with the Regulations, you have a right to make representations to us within 40 working days of our response. Details on how to do this will be set out in our letter. 
 

Appeals to the ICO and HM Government  

If you are still unhappy following the outcome of the internal review process, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. They can be contacted in the following ways: 

By Post:The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF 

By Email: [email protected] 

If you are still dissatisfied with the ICOs determination, you have the right to appeal to the HM Government Information Tribunal, which is the last step in the process.   

Further information regarding the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website here.