Northern Powergrid has become the UK's first distribution network operator to release its thinking on how it can play a key role in a green recovery, economic growth and power the communities and lives of 8 million customers across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire from 2023 and beyond.
The network operator has chosen to publicly share its emerging business plan views as early as possible to aid the development of the plan which will be finalised next year. This is part of its largest ever programme to involve stakeholders in shaping future plans that understand and respond to customer priorities across the socially and economically diverse communities that Northern Powergrid serves.
As part of its preparations to submit its business plan, in line with Ofgem's ED2 price control regulatory period from 2023-2028, Northern Powergrid has already consulted with thousands of stakeholders on a range of topics such as environmental protection, customer service, decarbonisation and network resilience. It is now preparing for further interactive engagement to ensure its customers and other key stakeholders have a say in the network that powers their everyday life and the communities they live and work in.
The findings from these initial 3,500 conversations are reflected in Northern Powergrid's Emerging Thinking - Building our plan for 2023-2028' which has been released today. The document outlines a clear direction of travel for the business while introducing core themes that stakeholders and customers will be invited to share their views on over subsequent weeks, to shore up a robust and open business plan that will guide the region towards net zero and formalise the network operator's commitment to ensuring rapid decarbonisation across the network.
Phil Jones, President and CEO of Northern Powergrid, said: "Enabling the communities that we are proud to serve to be key players in the push to net zero is a huge opportunity; we intend to make sure it happens. The conversation that we want to have about our Emerging Thinking is a significant step in building the plan that will make it possible."
'Emerging Thinking - Building our plan for 2023-2028' is primarily but not exclusively aimed at stakeholders who are already engaged on energy issues, including local authorities and business, with the full Emerging Thinking document alongside an interactive website to support engagement to come in early autumn.
Patrick Erwin, Northern Powergrid's Policy and Markets Director, underlined the importance of the planning process: "Electricity network operators like us have an enormous role to play in the transition to clean energy and supporting the green recovery as we Build Back Better from COVID-19. We already invest £1m in our regions' economies every day by managing and improving our network which is fundamental to powering peoples' lives. The work we do in our community to enable net zero will positively impact the future job prospects of communities and help create the workforces of tomorrow from the 1000s local young people heading back into education this September."
"We think that the transition to a low carbon economy should be as equitable as possible, so that everybody in society benefits. Speaking with as many customers and stakeholders as possible is a priority so we can really understand and respond to the differing needs across the diverse communities we serve It is only by doing this that we can help maximise the opportunities for our local and national economy. We've spoken to more than 3,500 stakeholders so far to understand what they think our priorities should be, and we will speak to thousands more over the coming weeks as we test our Emerging Thinking with them to make sure that our business plan reflects what they need and what they want for the future of our region."
Through the engagement process, stakeholders from industry experts and politicians to local charities and schools will be asked for views on topics such as:
- supporting the regional and national economic recovery following COVID-19, "building back better" and enabling a "just transition" to a low carbon economy;
- being "force for good" in the communities we serve;
- ensuring that there is collaborating across the whole energy system to deliver cross-sector and wide-ranging benefits to customers;
- ensuring that focus is kept on reliance and reliability of the network to protect customers;
- maintaining a strong commitment to protecting the natural environment;
- continuous improvement in all areas - from network innovation to customer service.
