Keeping the grid going

Read stories about how we're keeping the grid going during the coronavirus outbreak.

Diggers excavating for gas pipeline

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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Ship docked at night at Grain LNG in Kent - used for the National Grid story 'Helping to fuel the nation' Ventures : Grid at work

Helping to fuel the UK

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. 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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ET : Grid at work

Keeping the lights on for London

Meet James Watson, Lead Advanced Commissioning Engineer in London. As well as keeping the electricity flowing to the London area, running drills to get ready to cope in a crisis has long been part of his team’s day job. Find out more about how they’re using their skills to safeguard London’s electricity supply during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Man working at desk in control room - used for the National Grid story 'Working round the clock to power the nation at Easter' ET : Grid at work

Working round the clock to power the nation at Easter

Keeping the UK’s energy flowing this Easter weekend is as crucial as ever. Whether it’s to allow hospital workers to have hot water or making sure families can cook that Easter Sunday lunch, our team is on the case. Some of our staff will even be sleeping on site, in a special temporary ‘village’.

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Hand holding a TV remote control pointed at TV screen - used for National Grid ESO story 'The 'lockdown effect' on TV viewing habits and the electricity grid' ESO : Grid at work

ESO: The 'lockdown effect' on TV viewing habits and the electricity grid

What happens when we all sit down to watch the same TV programme? At the end of a popular programme if we all get up to make a cup of tea or open the fridge at the same time then in our electricity control room we see a spike in demand for electricity, or what we call a 'TV pickup'.

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Man wearing PPE turning valve at Bacton Compressor Station - used for the National Grid story 'Keeping the heart of Britain’s gas system beating' Gas : Grid at work

Keeping the heart of Britain’s gas system beating

Making sure the gas keeps flowing to homes and businesses during the coronavirus crisis is critical work. Here Michael Daniel, manager of our Bacton Gas Terminal in Norfolk, explains how the team there has prepared so that nothing can stop them doing their jobs.

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Colleagues in electricity control room ESO : Grid at work

ESO: Pandemic planning keeps the lights on

National Grid ESO keeps the lights on for Great Britain day in, day out, with a reliability rate of over 99.999%. One of the reasons that Britain’s electricity system is so dependable is because of people like Cathy Fraser, whose day job is to make sure the ESO is prepared for a range of extraordinary scenarios.

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ESO : Grid at work

ESO: How we're managing reduced demand for electricity through the coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus is having a significant impact on society. People are staying at home, and shops, businesses and industry are closed. Our electricity control room experts Rob Rome and Jean Hamman explain the effect this is having on our electricity network, and why expert operation of the system is needed whatever the level of demand.

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Metering engineer in high-vis jacket in front of gas meter - used for the National Grid story 'Why meters matter in a time of crisis' Ventures : Grid at work

Why meters matter during the coronavirus crisis

As part of our series on the people working hard to keep the lights on and the gas flowing, meet Abby Cardall. Abby and her colleagues in National Grid Metering are helping to make sure that gas supplies for 9 million residential and commercial customers continue, even if their meter fails. Here she tells us more about how the team is keeping its services going.

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Working in the National Grid ESO Control Room ESO : Grid at work

ESO: What does coronavirus mean for electricity in Great Britain?

Millions of people rely on us every day to keep the lights on and we want to reassure everyone that we have plans in place to keep the network working throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

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