What we’ve done and what we’re going to do
During RIIO-T2 we will publish an annual Environmental Report, the first of which you can read here. We also published our RIIO-T2 Environmental Action Plan which can be read here. Finally, we are engaging with you through a series of webinars, the slide pack from the latest of which can be accessed here.
Alice Delahanty, NGET President, highlighted in the executive summary of the annual performance report that ‘We remain committed to delivering against the Government’s Net Zero target by 2050. We have continued to play a central role in the decarbonisation agenda, making investments that support the connection of new generation technologies, responding to changing patterns of demand and making good progress towards Net Zero. Over the last year, we have launched our ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ which is the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. It will help the UK switch to clean energy and make sure our electricity network is fit for the future, carrying more clean, secure energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed’.
SF6 gas is a great insulator of electricity, but it is a damaging greenhouse gas. One of our commitments is to remove all SF6 from our network by 2050 and we’re already working with our supply chain to find SF6 free alternatives.
For the wider environmental scorecard, we outperformed targets in all six of the measures. Another measure is Business Carbon Footprint (BCF). In year three, we outperformed target by 17%, through a mix of lower SF6 top-ups and lower business mileage
We have started to install electric vehicle charging points across our operational sites to align to our strategy of replacing our fleet with electric vehicles.
Each of our large construction projects has stakeholder engagement at its heart. For example, on the Hinkley-Seabank project we have carried out significant education engagement, supported 200 local cyclists through a community grant, planted over 1000 trees (of a target of 4700), and even won a social mobility award.
Our Visual Impact Provision (VIP) projects in Dorset and the Peak District are now complete and finished removing pylons in 2022/23. Future schemes Snowdonia and North Wessex projects continue their development. These will ultimately underground a total of 11.5 miles (18.2 kilometres) of overhead line from these National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. All VIP schemes are on target to deliver their agreed outputs in RIIO-T2.
A further way that we are showing care for the environment is in our forward looking plan to develop the electricity network. We are building the energy system of the future, adding over 1.3GW of boundary capacity in FY24 with a further 10GW expected by the end of RIIO-T2. In addition to re-wiring south London, we have installed 53 T-pylons as part of the route connecting Hinkley Point C nuclear power station to the network. However, the complexity and scale of the infrastructure investments associated with our East Coast programme requires us to make a step change in how we work with developers, suppliers, environmental groups and local communities to find the best local and environmental solutions possible.
Output Delivery Incentive (ODI) Case Studies
We are always working to improve our stakeholder engagement – this is why we place community relations, and its importance, at the heart of our projects and engage and communicate with stakeholders and communities throughout the lifecycle of our vital infrastructure schemes. This engagement helps us to develop and deliver effective consultation strategies and achieve planning consent for our projects from Local Authorities, or the Planning Inspectorate if a Development Consent Order (DCO) is required. Our approach also helps to keep various stakeholder groups informed about the essential work we need to do to maintain and enhance our networks and, it can help to increase public awareness and acceptance of the infrastructure we need to put in place. Through the learnings and improvements from our engagements, we can also continue to focus on delivering on longer term service level developments for our customers, stakeholders, and consumers.