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About us
Find out about National Grid in the UK and how we’re working to build a cleaner, fairer and more affordable energy system that serves everyone.
About us
We have a unique position at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting people to the energy they use, safely and reliably. We keep the lights on and the gas flowing, so people can go about their daily lives. And we’re working to build a cleaner, fairer and more affordable energy system that serves everyone.
Our purpose is to Bring Energy to Life
It threads through everything we are and everything we do. It’s what binds us together. It’s in the heat, light and power we bring to our customers’ homes and businesses. It’s in the way we support our communities and help them to grow. It’s how we show up in the world.
Acting responsibly is core to our culture, whether that’s enabling young people to become the energy changers of the future, helping to revitalise areas of Britain with new zero carbon industrial areas, or supporting the UK to realise its net zero ambitions, it’s the principle that informs everything we do, every day.
Our people are central to this, they bring the dedication, expertise and skill. This is what enables us to deliver energy reliably and safely all day, every day. We’re dedicated to supporting their personal development and wellbeing. We’re committed to promoting inclusion and diversity at work so that everyone can achieve their full potential at work.
Right now, we’re living through a transformational era as the way we produce and use energy is evolving swiftly. But we’re no strangers to change. We have a rich heritage in adapting the way we work to find a better way, while continuing to deliver the energy the UK relies upon. We’ve been instrumental in building today’s energy systems – and we’re already rising to the challenges posed by climate change.
As we continue on the journey towards net zero, our purpose will remain the same. We will continue to Bring Energy to Life, powering homes, businesses and our essential services, while striving to find smart solutions to build a cleaner energy system for the future.
Fast facts
*Figures provided as part of 2019/20 Annual Report. |
Our strategy
Our strategy sets the bounds of our business. We build, own and operate large-scale, long-life energy assets, primarily in networks and renewables, that deliver fair returns and high societal value. Our portfolio of largely regulated assets in stable geographies will be underpinned by a strong and efficient balance sheet.
Our vision is to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future. To help us get there, we have four strategic priorities for our business. We explain each one below.
Climate change is the defining challenge of this generation. The decisions we take now will influence the future of our planet. We know we must make significant changes to curb harmful emissions and we’re already a thought leader for the industry on how to make this happen.
We’ll support the decarbonisation of the communities we serve, migrating to cleaner energy solutions across the board. We’ll enable a fully decarbonised electricity grid through grid modernisation and increased flexibility, and connect renewables quickly and efficiently.
We’ll lead the way in the decarbonisation of gas, investing in a range of solutions like renewable natural gas, blending hydrogen in our network and carbon offsetting. And we’ll enable the decarbonisation of transport, building electricity network flexibility and supporting charging infrastructure.
Delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy for our customers around the clock no matter what the weather, is at the heart of what we do. It’s our licence to operate.
This is more important than ever. We can only deliver on our vision for clean energy in the long-term if we get the fundamentals right in the short-term. It means driving operational excellence and financial discipline through every part of our business while working efficiently and maximising productivity day-to-day. It also means building relationships with regulators and policy-makers that strengthen partnerships and unlock added value.
It’s about making smart choices, prioritising the things that really matter and working effectively across the business to avoid unnecessary duplication and unlock economies of scale.
In a rapidly changing energy sector we need to keep pace, evolving our organisational capability so that we’re set up to deliver our vision.
Over the next decade, we’ll continue to anticipate and adapt to changes in faster and smarter ways, remaining at the cutting edge of engineering and asset management, innovating more sustainable energy solutions.
We’ll do this better than ever before, unlocking long term value through effective change, strengthening our customer focus and sharpening our commercial edge. And we’ll digitalise our processes and systems, whether that’s using artificial intelligence to visualise underground infrastructure or equipping our people in the field with tablets and smart phones.
National Grid is at the heart of the energy future and our people are at the heart of National Grid. We’re a stronger organisation when each individual is empowered to succeed.
We’ll build diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve, attracting the best talent and recognising great achievements. We need a highly skilled workforce to help the UK’s energy sector reach net zero by 2050. The UK faces a skills shortage, with an additional 59,000 engineering graduates and technicians needed each year to fill core engineering roles. At National Grid, we call it the job that can’t wait.
We’ll prioritise learning and personal development, supporting every colleague to perform at their best. We’ll develop the right skills now and in the future to accelerate the energy transition.
And through our people, we’ll help our communities to achieve their own climate and carbon ambitions, creating opportunities for 45,000 young people from lower income backgrounds along the way.