Working together to deliver a greener, fairer future
A shared strategy for achieving net zero
Whole systems thinking encompasses all forms of energy production and network activity, and will ensure that all utility companies embrace a joined-up to approach to achieving net zero in the UK.
Over the past 12 months, we have attended numerous industry conferences and events with other gas distribution networks (GDNs) and utility companies to strengthen relationships and explore the ways we can best work together to create a greener, fairer future.
We have purchased a joint exhibition stand with the other UK GDNs, which will allow us to attend events together and work collaboratively to address issues, identify solutions and answer attendee questions.
Through attendance at events like Innovation Zero and Utility Week Live, we have met and spoken to a wide range of stakeholders and Government representatives, about immediate and longer-term environmental priorities, which has informed our thinking and will shape our future approach.
Over the past seven years, we have also developed a strong collaboration with the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), a not-for-profit organisation that brings industry and innovation together. The organisation acts as a conduit to over 7,000 SMEs, which provides us with further opportunities to collaborate with companies across multiple sectors.
Planning for the future
Our Energy Networks Innovation Strategy has recently been updated to highlight the progress we’ve made so far and how we’ll move forward in the coming years. We are also in the planning process for the next network price control framework, and have increased both internal and external engagement to help shape our future strategy.
Matthieu Michel Operations Director at EIC
“The NGN and EIC Partnership continues to flourish. NGN was the first gas distribution network to join the EIC Partnership in 2012 and it now benefits from access to an evolving global innovation community of over 10,000 innovators. The EIC facilitates cross-sector collaboration and supports the end-to-end innovation process, whilst continuously improving the support available to innovators. This enables NGN to leverage established processes and resources to accelerate the deployment of innovation.
“Highlights from the past year include five innovation challenges being advertised to innovators, several innovation projects being started, solutions transitioning into business as usual, plus additional support resources developed in response to direct feedback from innovators, including a Procurement Guide and Innovation Deployment Guidance.”
