How we’re responding to coronavirus
National Grid is responsible for keeping the lights on and the gas flowing and we take our job very seriously, particularly in a time of national crisis. Find out how we are ensuring our networks keep working throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
4 ways lockdown life affected UK electricity use
COVID-19 has transformed many aspects of our lives, from where we work to how we rest and play. As restrictions ease, we look back at ways our electricity use changed through the pandemic, how it continues to evolve and what this tells us about the last few months.
The UK’s electricity use has reflected some of the unprecedented changes we’ve experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic – from TV pickups and clapping for carers, to the ‘lockdown lie-in’. We saw the ‘stay at home’ peak in April, followed by staged easing of restrictions from mid-May onwards. Here we reveal four surprising ways that this has impacted our use of energy.
Putting net zero at the heart of the UK’s economic recovery
Our CEO John Pettigrew explains why net zero should be front and central to the UK’s COVID recovery plans, and the three key areas of focus that can make for both a healthier economy and a cleaner energy future.
The past few months have been hugely challenging for both businesses and communities. The far-reaching consequences of COVID-19 cannot be underestimated and we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have been on the frontline.
Throughout the pandemic, National Grid’s role has been to keep the lights on and the gas flowing. We have focused on supporting our colleagues, customers and communities throughout this difficult time. This year may have been demanding, but we have not lost sight of our ongoing need to tackle climate change and support the UK through a clean energy transition. As we look towards the UK’s economic recovery, this is what drives us more than ever.
Pandemic volunteers return home
After 14 weeks of volunteers living on site, the last team who stepped up to keep our UK Transmission Network Control Centre running throughout the pandemic is returning home. But they remain on standby to keep the lights on should a second wave strike.
Keeping the grid going
Read more from the people on the front line and in the back offices who are keeping the gas and electricity flowing to homes and businesses in the UK and the US throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
Working through a crisis to protect our vital gas network
The first time you run a team you don’t expect it to be during a pandemic, but this is just what happened to Natasha Bacciarelli. As a 27-year-old graduate trainee, she found herself staying away from home while helping to protect her team as they carried out essential maintenance work on a major gas pipeline during the coronavirus crisis.
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Helping to fuel the nation
Ed Carter manages the operations team at National Grid’s Grain LNG Terminal in Kent, which imports and stores natural gas used to heat homes, businesses, hospitals and schools. It also fuels LNG road tankers that power many of the lorries delivering the nation’s essential food and medical supplies. Here Ed explains more and talks about how the good old cuppa is keeping his team going through the coronavirus crisis.
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