10% Biodiversity Net Gain commitment & legal compliance BNG legislation came into effect in England in February 2024. NGED has 20 active major project sites with BNG obligations, plus an additional 40 primary/grid substation sites identified for biodiversity management plans with conservation covenants secured for 30 years.
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Became NGED subsidiary of National Grid Group plc Since the RIIO-ED2 EAP was published in 2021, the business has become National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) operating as a business unit subsidiary of National Grid Group plc. This formation created delays with waste reduction surveys in the first year of RIIO-ED2.
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ISO 14001 recertification until 2026 NGED successfully underwent external ISO 14001 and EU Skills Permit Competence Management System (CMS) recertification audits in 2023/24. Eight minor non-conformances were closed out. New certificates issued to all applicable NGED sites.
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Aligned to UN SDGs 11, 12 and 13 NGED's environmental and sustainability actions aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).
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Activity-based Scope 3 approach piloted with Anthesis Working with consultants Anthesis, NGED performed a deep dive analysis recalculating emissions for top 5 PG&S categories (representing 70% of emissions by spend) on an activity basis rather than spend-based. Categories: underground cabling (30%), construction (15%), dig and lay (9%), transformers (9%), tree trimming (8%).
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Removed Scope 3 business travel and contractor activities from BCF The scope of BCF reporting changed for RIIO-ED2 and no longer includes Scope 3 carbon emissions associated with Business Travel or contractor activities. NGED currently reports only on Scope 3 Categories 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7.
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Aligned to National Grid Group 1.5°C SBT; net zero scope 3 by 2050 NGED has aligned to parent company National Grid Group plc's validated 1.5°C science based target. NGED retains its original 2043 net zero target for Scopes 1 and 2 (including network losses), but Scope 3 net zero target is now 2050 under the Group target. Scope of BCF reporting also changed for RIIO-ED2 - no longer includes Scope 3 business travel or contractor activities.
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Primary: Network electricity distribution losses reduction Network losses represent the largest share of NGED's carbon footprint (~782,803 tCO2e of 827,492 tCO2e total Scope 1+2 in 2023/24). NGED's Losses Vision Statement is 'to proactively manage losses, minimising them where possible'. Interventions in 2023/24 included LV cable uprating (581km from 95mm² to 185mm²), 11kV cable uprating (652km), and replacement of 81 pre-1958 GMT transformers. Higher network utilisation from electrification is expected to increase losses.
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Primary: Fluid-filled cables - oil leakage reduction FFC leakage in 2023/24 was significantly less than the baseline 3-year ED1 average. NGED has 683km of FFC with 1,663,150 litres of oil in service; 15,032 litres leakage reduction and 550 litres recovered. Commitment to reduce FFC leakage by 50% by 2028 and remove all oil-filled cables by 2060, supported by remote pressure monitoring, perfluorocarbon tracer detection, and replacement of high-leak circuits.
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Dependent: Supply chain decarbonisation (Cat 1 & 2) Scope 3 Cat 1+2 emissions of ~490,000 tCO2e in 2023/24 are calculated using GICS spend-based factors. NGED is moving to activity-based methodology via Anthesis project - top 5 PG&S categories (underground cabling 30%, construction 15%, dig and lay 9%, transformers 9%, tree trimming 8%) represent 70% of spend-based emissions. NGED is also requesting EPDs/LCAs from transformer suppliers and developing Project ALPACA (PAS2080-aligned) embodied carbon tool.
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