A word from our leaders
I am delighted to introduce our third Annual Environment Report. As the gas distribution network for the North of England, we have a key role to play in enhancing and protecting our environment, in the short, medium and long term.
Customers and stakeholders tell us that they expect energy networks to deliver ambitious decarbonisation plans to contribute to achieving net zero.
They want us to enable sustainable and affordable forms of energy while taking real action now to reduce the impacts of our business operations on the environment and the communities that we serve, by making sustainable investment decisions which will deliver value for the long term. This is a responsibility that we take incredibly seriously – it’s one that is deeply engrained in our business, and one which we’re passionate about delivering.
Our Environmental Action Plan contains tangible commitments and actions that we are putting into practice to make our region cleaner and greener. Over the past year we have continued to work closely with our local delivery partners to significantly reduce gas leakage from our network, diverting our waste from landfill, planting over 22,000 trees to improve air quality in some of the most polluted towns and cities in our region, and embed sustainability principles in our supply chain. Meanwhile, our work to progress hydrogen as an alternative fuel to natural gas for powering electricity generation and critical industry continues, and we remain committed to progressing sustainable solutions to help to achieve net zero.
As we share our performance for 2023/24, sustainable thinking and action remains more important than ever to the delivery of our overarching objectives: providing a safe and reliable gas service that our customers can depend on; supporting the transition to net zero and continuing to modernise our operations to drive efficiencies that ensure that we can deliver a value for money service for our customers, meanwhile ensuring that customers on the lowest incomes and in our most disadvantaged areas, experience a fair and equitable energy transition.
Our strong performance would not be possible without our amazing people and wonderful partners and supply chain and I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in the helping to build on our achievements from previous years and deliver our environmental and sustainability improvements this year.
Mark Horsley Chief Executive Officer Northern Gas Networks
During 2023/24 we have continued to deliver on our Environmental Action Plan commitments, with specific focus on tackling our most significant environmental impacts.
We have achieved excellent performance in gas leakage reduction, our biggest single greenhouse gas emission, and diverting waste from landfill. Our tree planting programme to tackle poor urban air quality in our region is also providing particularly pleasing results.
Our Environmental Action Plan was informed by our stakeholders and is consciously ambitious. Achieving our commitments remains challenging but we believe they can be achieved through innovation, collaboration and long-term thinking to the long-term benefit our stakeholders and region.
Neil Whalley Head of Environment and Sustainability Northern Gas Networks
