Commenting on the announcement that the UK Government has committed to a 2050 ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions target, David Smith, Chief Executive of Energy Networks Association, says:
“We warmly welcome today’s announcement. Given the time that we have available it is vital that the Government and the regulator act now to get the right policies in place to turn the 2050 target into a reality. The time for waiting is over.
“We need to invest to innovate and to deliver the right infrastructure at the lowest possible cost to the public. That will mean more renewable energy projects, more electric vehicle charging points and a decarbonised gas grid, for which hydrogen is an absolute necessity. Public support for Net Zero is key, and so we must have the tools to deliver for them.”
Notes to editor
- Energy Networks Association represents the companies that are responsible for operating the ‘wires and pipes’ of Britain’s gas and electricity network infrastructure, serving over 30 million customers across the country.
- Britain’s energy networks have played a leading role in helping deliver the country’s record levels of renewable electricity generation, with renewables’ share of total UK electricity generation reaching a new high of 33.3% in 2018 (BEIS, DUKES).
- A smarter, more flexible electricity grid is key to delivering deeper levels of decarbonisation. To learn more see here.
- Over 90 bio-methane have been connected to gas grids around the country to help provide new sources of green gas to homes (ABDA, ENA).
- Research conducted by KPMG in 2016 found that evolving the role of Britain’s gas networks infrastructure so they play a part in meeting our decarbonisation targets could save £214bn by 2050. This research is attached.
- Independent YouGov polling commissioned by ENA in May 2018 found that 75% of people support the Government doing more to prioritise the production & use of domestic green gas over fossil fuel gas. The polling is attached.
- ENA's Gas Decarbonisation Pathways Project is a major industry initiative to build on the work that Britain’s gas networks have been undertaking to build a low cost, low carbon network and develop new technologies that make the most of biogas, bioSNG, hydrogen and smart hybrid heating systems. More information is available here.
- Key facts about Britain’s energy network companies:
- Local green electricity generation: Over 30GW of largely renewable electricity generation is now connected to Britain’s local electricity grids, generating a quarter of Britain’s electricity.
- Customer satisfaction: Regular satisfaction surveys conducted by Ofgem with a range of customers show consistent satisfaction of more than 87% in the services provided by network companies, putting networks above any energy supply company, higher than many high-street retailers and amongst the very best performers in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index.
- Value for money: Network companies are responsible for operating and maintaining 1 million km of electricity cables and 272,000km of gas pipelines across the UK at a cost of around 35p per day.
- Vulnerable customers: Distribution networks now provide extra support and care to over six million vulnerable customers on their Priority Services Registers. So far in RIIO-GD1, gas distribution networks have helped 64,100 households with their fuel bills under the Fuel Poor Extension Scheme
- Safety: Safety has improved considerably since privatisation. Total Recordable Incident Rate for electricity network staff shows a tenfold improvement since 1990.
- Reliability: An average customer would have a power cut less than every two years which will last for 35 minutes. Gas network customers experience an unplanned interruption to their supply once every 140 years.
- Jobs: Directly employing 36,000 people, the energy networks have a vital role in supporting UK plc.
- For more information please contact:
About us
Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body representing the energy networks. Our members include every major electricity network operator in the UK. The electricity networks are at the heart of the energy transition. They directly employ more than 26,000 people in the UK, including 1,500 apprentices. They are spending and investing £33bn in our electricity grids over the coming years, to ensure safe, reliable and secure energy supplies for the millions of homes and businesses reliant on power every day.
Press contacts
You can contact ENA's press office by emailing press@energynetworks.org. For urgent or out-of-hours enquiries from journalists, please call 0204 599 7691.