2020/21 OVERVIEW

A good performance despite the challenge of COVID-19

In 2020/21, National Grid delivered good operational progress with high levels of network reliability across all our service territories - this despite the significant challenges throughout the year from COVID-19.

 

During the year, we achieved a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)[3] of 0.1, in line with our Group target of 0.1, and an improvement on prior year. In the US, we achieved an LTIFR of 0.12 compared to 0.16 in the prior year. Tragically, one of our US contractors lost his life in November at our Investment Recovery Center in Syracuse, New York. We immediately initiated an investigation into the cause, as did the contractors, and we have reviewed procedures to ensure that lessons learned are shared extensively across the Group. National Grid Ventures (NGV) saw LTIFR rise to 0.15, compared to 0.05 in the prior year, through three minor site accidents. In the UK, we delivered our best ever year of safety with a LTIFR of 0.04 compared to 0.07 in the prior year.

 

Across the Group, capital investment decreased by £210 million at constant currency to £5,047 million, a decrease of 4% (or 7% at actual exchanges rates). This decrease was principally driven by lower UK Gas Transmission spend (completion of the River Humber Gas Pipeline Replacement Project); lower interconnector capex and non-recurrence of the National Grid Renewables (formerly Geronimo) acquisition for NGV; partially offset by higher US spend on network repairs following increased storm activity, increased US transmission project spend, and higher capital spend on UK Electricity Transmission projects (Hinkley-Seabank and London Power Tunnels 2). When combined with RPI inflation, capital expenditure drove Group asset growth of 5.6%.

A strong operational response to COVID-19

Across the year, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the way we work. As the crisis unfolded, we successfully implemented business continuity plans in the UK and US to keep our employees safe, to ensure the safety and well-being of our customers, and to maintain network reliability across the communities we serve.

 

In the UK, the March 2020 lockdown meant there was an initial suspension of our capital programmes allowing us to put appropriate arrangements in place such as PPE and social distancing. Across the year, our capex programme was largely unaffected by COVID-19 as we worked closely with contractors and suppliers across all our projects to minimise delays, including major projects such as the London Power Tunnels 2, the IFA2 and North Sea Link interconnectors, and the Hinkley-Seabank connection. During the summer, electricity demand fell on occasions to 20% below expected levels with zero carbon sources making up their largest ever share of the power mix. For our Electricity System Operator (ESO) business, this meant our control room engineers taking more actions, on more days, increasing and decreasing sources of power to maintain system stability and security.

 

In the US, our COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan served as a guideline for all employees and contractors throughout the year. We have ensured that safety expectations have been made clear for new ways of working, allowing us to deliver our critical investment whilst limiting the impact of the pandemic on our capital delivery programme. Updated working guidance has continued for our field force including limits on team sizes and single occupancy in vehicles. Our teams have continued to reconnect customers speedily during a year of significantly increased storm activity, working successfully through lockdown and social distancing requirements. We also conducted more than 32,000 virtual home energy assessments in New England when in-person home energy assessments were suspended due to COVID-19.

Supporting our communities

Throughout the year, our employees have continued to support our communities through volunteering and providing time to support charities and the most vulnerable. As part of this, we set up Grid for Good to help address the effects of the economic downturn in the UK and US which has seen youth unemployment double during the pandemic.

 

In the UK, the Company made donations to the National Emergency Fund and Trussell Trust, and we donated 400 tablet devices to University Hospitals Birmingham. National Grid was also one of 200 signatories to an open letter from UK business leaders to Government calling for the alignment of economic recovery plans with the UK's wider environmental and climate goals, and for 100,000 jobs to be created in the energy sector as we work towards net zero.

 

In the US, the Company has provided economic development grants to seven Western New York initiatives to grow the regional economy following COVID-19. Financial donations were made to support hunger relief and services for people in need and struggling due to the impact of the pandemic. We also donated to Feeding America's hunger action month, a partnership with Feeding America who support over 45 food banks across Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. This is an example of the Company's ongoing efforts to support local communities with charitable donations in the US since the beginning of the pandemic.

Supporting our customers

Throughout the year the Company has continued to provide ways to help customers manage their bills. In the US, we suspended our debt collection and customer terminations resulting in lower customer collections and additional provisioning for doubtful debts. As part of our upstate New York rate plan filing, we proposed up to $50 million in COVID-19 relief to support our most economically vulnerable customers as well as businesses struggling from the financial impact of the pandemic. We also decided to postpone by three months our Niagara Mohawk filing for new rates in upstate New York. Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to improvements in customer satisfaction. In Q4 2020, the Cogent Energy Report, a national survey of 140 US utilities, ranked our response to the pandemic as fifth out of twenty five large Eastern US electric utilities.

 

In the UK, we took a leading role in the industry, actively supporting Ofgem's measures to protect customers by relaxing network charge payment terms for suppliers and shippers facing cash flow challenges as a result of COVID-19. The procurement team also kept in regular contact with our critical suppliers to ensure early identification of potential supply chain issues and to ensure the necessary support was available where required.

Financial impact on our business

We previously guided that the impact of COVID-19 on 2020/21 underlying operating profit was expected to be around £400 million. Our teams have worked hard to mitigate COVID-19 related costs throughout the year, and we are pleased that the estimated out-turn is £355 million (before cost recoveries), below the expected impact we previously guided to.

 

In addition, we have recognised £59 million as revenue recovery for the commodity portion of some of our COVID-19 bad debts. Therefore, our year end underlying operating profit impact from COVID-19 is £296 million, with the broad areas driving this remaining unchanged. Our estimated impact for each is as follows: 

 

•   a residual bad debt cost of £120 million;

•   a shortfall of revenue under existing rate plans of £78 million, principally through the suspension of late payment fees in the US, fewer US customers requesting 'protected status' due to the moratoriums on disconnections, and lower customer income in the UK;

•   a £70 million impact from delays to agreeing a settlement for our filing for new rates in KEDNY and KEDLI, downstate New York; and 

•  net direct costs of £28 million relating to enabling safe working (PPE, cleaning, sequestering staff, IT for remote access) and costs associated with delays to a number of planned capex works.

 

We also guided to a cash flow impact from COVID-19 of up to £1 billion. The estimated cash impact for the full year is around £600 million. As our regions emerge from COVID-19 during FY2021/22, we continue to expect an impact to be felt from weaker demand, some lower revenues and lower cash collection from our US customers. As we have guided previously, we remain confident that we will be able to recover a majority of these COVID-19 related costs either through existing regulatory mechanisms or through separate filings.

 

Operational and regulatory progress in 2020/21

Across the Group, we achieved an RoE of 10.6% in 2020/21, down 140 basis points against prior year (2019/20: 12.0%[4]). This was principally driven by a year-on-year fall in the US Regulated RoE through additional impacts associated with COVID-19 and a significant increase in non-deferrable storm activity. UK Transmission RoE was broadly similar to prior year.

 

We have continued to make good progress in our US regulatory strategy as we align our rate filings and agreements with the environmental goals of the states where we operate. We have filed a Joint Proposal for new rates for our downstate New York businesses KEDNY-KEDLI, and during the year filed for new rates for Niagara Mohawk in upstate New York and for our Massachusetts Gas business. In the UK, we have accepted the majority of the RIIO-2 Final Determination and we have continued to make good progress on our interconnector and renewable portfolios.

A year of continued growth in the US regulated business

We achieved good operational performance across our US regulated business during 2020/21 with an electric distribution network reliability of 99.92%, despite the significant challenges of COVID-19 and increased storms. In addition, investment in the safety and reliability of our US networks has continued, with capex increasing year-on-year.

 

During the year, the financial performance of the US regulated business was impacted by additional costs of COVID-19, and a greater number of storms, with our achieved RoE decreasing by 210 basis points to 7.2% (excluding COVID-19 related bad debts). Adjusting for these headwinds, and the impact of rate case delays, the RoE would have been 8.6% or 92% of the allowed return.

 

The level of major and minor storm activity increased significantly across our service territories during the year, with the number of major storms more than doubling to 36, up from 15 in the prior year. In the face of this challenge, we delivered an excellent record in reconnecting customers across our service territories affected by storms. In October, we saw our service territories experience the third most impactful storm in the last 15 years. Over 550,000 customers lost power in New York during this storm, but we managed to reconnect 95% in less than 72 hours and avoided incurring any penalties or fines. Our operational response to increased storms has continued to be strong, particularly with the need to manage our Incident Command Structure remotely through COVID-19 restrictions.

 

As a result of this increased activity we saw deferrable storm costs of $201 million, up from $98 million in the prior year, and non-deferrable storm costs of $168 million, up from $74 million incurred in the prior year. The increase in non-deferrable storm costs is related to the higher number of minor storms driven by both increased activity and the fact that our restoration performance meant fewer storms met the classification of 'major storm'. To address this, we are taking a proactive approach that includes proposing new minor storm thresholds and funding levels in current and future rate cases, continued investment in network resiliency, enhancing our strategic planning, and adopting new technology to optimise our performance.

 

The severe weather conditions in 2020 caused extensive tree damage and impacted our electric infrastructure and reliability performance in comparison to other years, particularly in Massachusetts. Across the north-east region, the state was the most severely impacted and as a result we missed our electric service reliability targets for the year. We estimate that we will incur a service quality penalty of approximately $14 million in CY 2022. We are committed to providing a safe and reliable service and meeting our customers' expectations and we will continue to work to improve our reliability performance. Initiatives include expanding and enhancing our vegetation management programs, adopting new technology to optimise our operational performance, and engaging with outside experts to perform a study of weather impacts on our system. We expect these initiatives to improve performance and better manage the impact of severe weather events going forward.

 

Our US Regulated business invested $4.3 billion in the year, up 4% on prior year (at constant currency), helping to drive strong rate base growth of 8% for the regulated business. This increase and delivery of our capital investment programme was despite the impact of COVID-19 and the requirement to reschedule our capex programme at the beginning of lockdown in the spring of 2020. Around half of this capex, $2.1 billion, was across our gas distribution networks, of which 85% was mandated for safety and reliability purposes. This includes our Leak-Prone Pipe Replacement programme which this year saw a further 350 miles of pipeline replaced, above our target of 300 miles. This programme has a further 15-20 years to run across our service territories and is critical not only to replace ageing infrastructure but also to ensure continued reductions in methane leakages and emissions.         

 

We have also made good progress in our US electricity transmission business. In April, the New York Power Authority selected National Grid as a partner in the Northern New York Priority Transmission Project (NNYPTP). This project will rebuild a 100 mile transmission line which will harden the resiliency of the power grid and support the state in meeting its clean energy goals by bringing renewable generation from upstate to demand centres in downstate New York. Our capex commitment is estimated to be $500 million over a period of four years, and when complete the line is expected to help avoid 1.2 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

 

In March, we announced the sale of NECO, our Rhode Island gas and electric distribution and transmission business, to PPL as part of the proposed WPD transaction. We expect to receive regulatory clearances for the sale by the end of our financial year.

Regulatory Progress

We continued to make good regulatory progress during the year and we are pleased to have reached agreement on a Joint Proposal with New York Public Service Commission (PSC) Staff for new rates in KEDNY and KEDLI, our downstate New York gas businesses. The proposal, filed in May, is for a three-year settlement for 2020/21 through to 2022/23 and includes an RoE of 8.8%, and capital expenditures of $2.0 billion for KEDNY and $1.3 billion for KEDLI over the term of the rate plan. There is an option to extend the plan for a fourth rate year with a net plant capital tracker if we decide not to file for new rates towards the end of the proposed three-year rate plan. In addition, the proposal provides funding for hydrogen blending research in New York, provision for geothermal projects as a long-term non-pipe alternative, and funding for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects. This investment will help further our ambitions to provide cleaner gas in the long-term, helping the state reach its environmental and emissions goals whilst continuing to provide customers with affordable heating.

 

One of the key reasons for extended discussions with the New York PSC has been the shaping of the impact on bills and the mitigation of costs to the customer, particularly in light of the current economic backdrop in New York and the impact of COVID-19 across the state. The Company, the New York PSC and interested parties have made this a key priority during discussions and, as such, the proposal includes a zero per cent increase in bills in the first rate year (2020/21), and then 2% p.a. for the following two years for KEDNY, and 1.8% p.a. for KEDLI. We are therefore pleased that the proposal will ensure safety and reliability investment continues across the gas networks, provides for investment in clean gas pilot projects, but also mitigates the impact on customer and end-user bills. We expect a final decision from the New York PSC later this summer.

 

In July, we filed for new rates for Niagara Mohawk (NIMO), our electric and gas business in upstate New York. We originally planned to file for new rates in April but decided to delay the filing following the initial impact of COVID-19. It represents a one-year filing, with revenue data submitted for two additional years to help facilitate a multi-year settlement. In addition, it includes investment to support affordable decarbonised heating, including the expansion of RNG to help the state's environmental goals, and maintains a focus on managing customer affordability. Settlement discussions for the filing are underway with new rates expected to become effective in July 2021.

 

In November, we filed a request with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to update gas distribution rates for our Massachusetts Gas business. The rate filing requested a $139 million increase in revenue to cover increased operating costs and core investments, and a Return on Equity of 10.5%. The Company also proposed a new Performance Based Rate Mechanism (PBRM) that will link annual revenue increases to inflation similar to that agreed for our Massachusetts Electric business in 2019. The filing also proposed funding for projects to decarbonise the gas network, including hydrogen, geothermal, RNG, and demand side measures. Ultimately, our regulator determined that these proposals should be considered as part of separate proceedings. Our geothermal demonstration project is currently before the DPU and our demand response measures are under consideration as part of our energy efficiency programmes. The ongoing future of gas proceeding, opened in October 2020, will inform our future proposals for hydrogen and RNG. We expect new rates in our gas distribution filing to become effective from October 2021.

The Future of Gas - New York

In March, National Grid, Con Edison and New York City published a comprehensive analysis looking at scenarios to reduce emissions and reach the City's net zero target by 2050. The landmark study, "Pathways to Carbon-Neutral NYC: Modernize, Reimagine, Reach", is the first of its kind to bring utilities and the New York Mayor's Office together to demonstrate the coordination required to reach carbon neutrality at scale. Its findings will inform future City policies and programmes, and will inform priorities for National Grid and Con Edison in the communities we serve. The study makes key findings across a range of sectors, including building electrification, transport, industrial efficiency and heating. One of the findings concerned the future of gas in New York City and the existing gas distribution network. The study supports low carbon gas (including RNG and hydrogen) as an important emission reduction strategy for end users that do not electrify their heating. It finds that low carbon gas is necessary in all scenarios, and though the study estimates falling gas demand across all sectors by 2050 there remains a continued reliance on the gas network through 2050 and the need to continue investing to keep the gas system safe and reliable.

 

In downstate New York, we continue to widen our energy efficiency and demand side response measures to ensure gas supply meets demand, as agreed with the PSC last year. We have also made good progress on our efforts to expand existing on-system Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities. As a result, we are confident in our ability to serve new customer connections over the next several winters. We continue to consider other potential alternatives and contingencies for meeting customers' long-term energy needs, including regular updates of demand projections, identifying new supply capacity and on-system projects, and further expansion of energy efficiency and demand response programs. 

The Future of Gas - Massachusetts

In October 2020, the Massachusetts DPU issued an order directing state local gas distribution companies (LDCs) to jointly hire one or more independent consultants to review the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs "Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap" (published in December 2020). The consultants were required to identify any pathways not examined in the Roadmap, and the feasibility of all pathways for each LDC. Massachusetts has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and the Roadmap was designed to support that commitment by modelling eight potential pathways: (1) all options; (2) limited offshore wind; (3) limited efficiency; (4) pipeline gas (including low-carbon fuels); (5) 100% renewable primary energy; (6) no thermal; (7) regional coordination; and (8) distributed energy resources breakthrough. The five Massachusetts LDCs include National Grid, Eversource, Berkshire Gas Company, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities.

 

The DPU order set deadlines for LDCs, including (1) progress to date as of 1 March 2021; (2) a second status update due 1 September 2021; and (3) a proposal by each LDC to be filed with the DPU by 1 March 2022 which includes the LDC's recommendation and plans for helping Massachusetts achieve its 2050 climate goals. LDC plans will be supported by the consultants' report analysing pathways and incorporating feedback from a stakeholder process. National Grid's first status report was filed with the DPU in March. The consultants have begun the process of analysing the Roadmap, and stakeholder meetings began in May. 

A strong end to RIIO-1 in the UK

The UK has delivered another year of strong operational performance reflected in an excellent network reliability of 99.9999% for Electricity Transmission, and 100% for Gas Transmission. We also achieved an RoE of 12.6% for the UK business, meaning that the weighted average outperformance for the UK, in the final year of RIIO-1, is within our forecast range of 200 to 300 basis points.

 

In 2020/21, we invested £1.2 billion in our UK Electricity and Gas Transmission networks, broadly in line with prior year. Electricity Transmission capex increased principally through higher spend on the Hinkley-Seabank connection, the London Power Tunnels 2 project, and SmartWires, a project that aims to increase power transfer capability to enable greater volumes of renewable generation across the existing network, reducing the need for us to build new lines. Gas Transmission capex decreased on prior year as expected, driven primarily by lower spend on programmes including Peterborough and Huntingdon gas compressor upgrades, and on the Feeder-9 gas pipeline under the Humber Estuary where tunnelling was completed during the year. This means that our total investment across the 8 years of RIIO-1 reached £12.5 billion, generating over £850 million savings for customers across the same period[5].

 

The UK cost efficiency programme that we announced in 2018 continues to deliver a more efficient and agile business as we move into RIIO-2. In 2020/21, the programme enabled us to deliver a further £34 million reduction in controllable costs for Electricity Transmission compared to the prior year, and £15 million for Gas Transmission. Together with the £72 million of efficiency savings in 2019/20, we have now exceeded the £100 million savings target we set for the UK business two years ago.

 

We have also announced our intention to sell a majority stake in our UK Gas Transmission business. We are making good progress in preparing the business for the sale process which we expect to launch in the second half of CY2021.

RIIO-2 progress

This year has seen the conclusion of the RIIO-2 process in which we have accepted the majority of Ofgem's Final Determination (FD). Throughout the process, we have engaged extensively with a record number of stakeholders to deliver Business Plans for Electricity Transmission, Gas Transmission and the Electricity System Operator (ESO). The key foundations for these plans have been to ensure continued investment in safety and network reliability, help the UK reach its net zero and emissions targets, and minimise costs to the consumer. Whilst we have accepted the majority of the FD outcome, we have continued our technical appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on the cost of equity and outperformance wedge.

 

Following the September consultation deadline on the Draft Determination (DD), we continued to engage constructively with Ofgem at all levels. This included CEO and Chair meetings, and October's open meetings, to create the right incentives to drive the investment and innovation needed to allow the UK to meet its clean energy ambitions at an acceptable cost to consumers. In addition, as part of our response to the DD, we provided over 22,000 pages of extra engineering evidence to justify a higher baseline totex, and the work proposed in our Business Plans, to ensure asset health and system reliability is maintained across RIIO-2.

 

In March, we accepted the overall FD package for the Electricity System Operator, and accepted most of the package for the Electricity and Gas Transmission businesses. Whilst we welcomed the significant movement in totex allowances and greater flexibility around future net zero investment for Electricity and Gas Transmission, we believed that the methodology Ofgem used to set the cost of equity is wrong. For example, it ignored evidence for higher total market return and risk-free rate levels, and the higher risk of the energy transmission business compared, for example, with water utilities. We also maintained the view that the outperformance wedge, a downward adjustment to allowed returns in expectation of future outperformance, is conceptually and practically flawed. Consequently, we submitted a technical appeal on these two points to the CMA, which has since confirmed the appeal will proceed. We anticipate provisional CMA findings in August with Final Determinations in October. 

 

We expect to invest around £10 billion of capex through the course of the RIIO-2 five-year price control across our electricity and gas transmission networks. Of this, around £8 billion will be investment in Electricity Transmission asset health, system reinforcement to facilitate offshore renewable generation and other new onshore system connections. At nearly £2 billion per annum on average for our transmission networks, investment will be substantially higher than the RIIO-1 price control. 

Electricity System Operator (ESO)

During the year, national lockdowns caused unprecedented, record low levels of electricity demand. This, coupled with periods of high renewable generation output, made keeping supply and demand in balance more difficult. To overcome these challenges, the ESO developed a series of new electricity market services to help balance the system. In May 2020, the ESO launched Operational Downward Flexibility Management - a temporary marketplace to reduce output from renewable generation - and in September 2020, Dynamic Containment went live - a new fast frequency response service. In collaboration with industry, the ESO made progress on our Pathfinder projects, identifying how we can replace the voltage, stability and constraint management services provided by fossil fuel generation with new, greener approaches.

 

We are pleased that Ofgem agreed to fund the ESO RIIO-2 business plan for the activities we will deliver, approving £504m (98%) of the costs we set out for the first two years. Ofgem has listened to our feedback and our stakeholders' feedback and made changes to the regulatory framework that will set us up to transform our role, deliver our ambitious plans and facilitate the transition to a zero-carbon electricity system. Over the five-year RIIO-2 period, the activities set out in our business plan will generate net benefits of around £2 billion for consumers, lowering average annual consumer bills by around £3.

 

In January, Ofgem published its review of the Great Britain Energy System Operation which recommended an independent system operator, fully separate from National Grid. We are working closely with the government, regulator and industry to explore what changes will be needed to achieve net zero, to ensure system reliability, and to ensure fair recompense for shareholders should the decision be made to pursue this recommendation.

Further progress in National Grid Ventures

National Grid Ventures (NGV) delivered another good performance in 2020/21, with no significant impact to operations and construction as a result of COVID-19.

 

Capital investment decreased by £306 million compared to prior year, to £509 million[6]. This was primarily driven by (a) capex in 2019/20 including the acquisition cost for National Grid Renewables (formerly Geronimo Energy), and (b) lower interconnector investment on IFA2 (as the project has now been commissioned) and on North Sea Link as the majority of construction is now complete. This was partially offset by increased investment in the Viking Link interconnector to Denmark.

 

Our interconnectors delivered another good performance across the year. Nemo Link achieved 99% availability, up 3% on prior year, with IFA achieving 95% availability, up 4% on prior year. Availability on BritNed fell to 75%, impacted by an offshore cable fault resulting in the link being offline between December and February. 

 

In January, we commissioned IFA2, our second interconnector to France. The 149 mile, 1,000MW sub-sea link will provide low-carbon electricity to one million homes and help the UK on its journey to net zero. We estimate that electricity imported through the link will help the UK avoid 1.2 million tonnes CO₂ in IFA2's first full year of operation. Progress on North Sea Link (NSL) continues and the link remains on track to become operational in Q4 2021, providing low-carbon electricity from hydro power generation in Norway. Activity on Viking Link to Denmark increased during the year with civil works and cable manufacturing progressing, with the link remaining on track to become operational in 2023/24.

 

In 2020, NGV's Grain LNG and Qatar Terminal Limited (QTL), a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum, signed a 25-year agreement that will provide the Qatari company with storage and redelivery capacity at Grain LNG from 2025. The contract secures the long-term future of Europe's largest LNG terminal. Grain LNG will expand its storage capacity from 1 million m³ to 1.2 million m³ by 2025, further strengthening UK security of supply. Our Grain LNG business contributed another good year to the business, with 20% utilisation throughout 2020/21.

 

In the US, NGV completed the launch of its new US large-scale renewables brand, National Grid Renewables, which includes the renewables development company formerly known as Geronimo Energy. During the year, we began construction of the 200 MW Prairie Wolf Solar Project in Illinois, which has a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement in place with Cargill, as well as the construction of two portfolios of smaller solar projects including the 40 MW MiSolar Portfolio in Michigan and the 15MW Nordic III Portfolio in Minnesota, bringing the Nordic solar portfolio to approximately 70 MW in total. In addition, we expect to begin operations at our 275MW solar/125MWh battery storage Noble project in Texas in the first half of 2022.

 

In the US, New York Transco, of which NGV is a part-owner, continued to progress its New York Energy Solution (NYES) project which was selected by the New York Independent System Operator to provide transmission upgrades to New York's power system, while enhancing reliability and facilitating upstate clean energy resources to the downstate demand centers. The upgrades will primarily take place along 55 miles on utility-owned land. In March 2021, New York Transco began construction on the NYES project, which remains on track to complete in 2023.

           

Finally, NGV and RWE Renewables, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, have signed a joint venture partnership agreement[7] to jointly develop offshore wind projects in the coastal region of the Northeast US. Under the agreement, NGV and RWE will work together to explore opportunities in the US offshore wind market with an intention to jointly bid in a future federal seabed lease auction.

St William profit growth drives another good year for property

Our Property business delivered another solid year in a challenging environment. Our joint venture with the Berkeley Group plc, St William Homes, contributed a net profit to the Group, selling approximately 230 new homes across London. However, profit from site sales was down year-on-year, although the business sold another two sites into the joint venture, Ascot and Hertford. We also exchanged contracts on a further four sites in Mitcham, Stratford, Romford and Bracknell, further strengthening the development pipeline. Our newly formed Joint Venture with Places for People, National Places, exchanged on its first site in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. Across the wider Property business, we sold a further 41 sites in cities across the UK including sites in Glasgow, Birmingham and London.

 

A landmark year in strengthening our ESG commitments

National Grid is fully committed to its role in tackling climate change and as a responsible company for the communities we serve.

Responsible Business Charter

In October, we launched our Responsible Business Charter which lays out our long-term goals across five pillars: the environment, our people, our communities, the economy and our governance. In June, we will publish our first Responsible Business Report (alongside our Annual Report) which will set out the progress we have made against our goals, bringing all our responsible business reporting into one place.

 

The report will include work we have done with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to increase our ambition around our Scope 3 emissions reduction target. Whilst our existing Scope 1 and 2 targets are already aligned to a below two degrees pathway, we have worked closely with the SBTi to increase the ambition of our Scope 3 target which now covers emissions across National Grid's entire value chain and a commitment to reduce carbon emissions 37.5% by 2033/34 from a 2018/19 baseline. This has allowed us to become a signatory of the Business Ambition for 1.5°C, and the Race to Zero, both of which are United Nations campaigns to bring about greater support and leadership to the climate debate. We plan to go further and are working internally, with our partners and with the SBTi, to understand how best to stretch our ambition and explore what a 1.5°C pathway would mean to the business and our supply chain.

Commitment to our communities - Grid for Good

To support the delivery of our commitment as a responsible business in relation to our communities, we also launched Grid for Good. This is our flagship community investment programme, designed to deliver social mobility in the hardest to reach corners of our communities for disadvantaged youth aged between 16 and 24. Through the Grid for Good pathway, and with the help of our employee volunteers, young people have a unique opportunity to learn about the energy industry, network with one another, gain valuable skills, receive a mentor, have a chance to gain valuable work experience, and ultimately achieve meaningful careers with us and our partners now, or in the future. We believe that fresh talent and diverse perspectives in our own organisation and our industry will be a key contributor in achieving a diverse workforce who will help us to deliver against our net zero ambitions.

Changes to our operating model

With our vision to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future, we must ensure we can effectively and efficiently deliver the financial, customer and regulatory outcomes that will help on the journey towards net zero. To this end, we are changing our structure to an operating model with six business units. These units will be UK Electricity Transmission, the UK Electricity System Operator (ESO), UK Gas Transmission, New England, New York and NGV and Other. Each unit will be run as end-to-end enterprises within the Group portfolio, and will provide the flexibility needed to deliver both the company's growth programme but also to align more effectively with the environmental aims of the jurisdictions that we serve.

Board changes

In September 2020, we announced the appointment of Paula Rosput Reynolds to succeed Sir Peter Gershon as Chair, and in March 2021 we announced that Sir Peter will step down from the Board with effect from 31 May 2021.

 

Paula joined the Board on 1 January 2021 as Non-executive Director and Chair Designate and will take over as Chair of the Board from 31 May 2021. Paula is currently the Senior Independent Director of BP plc where she also chairs the Remuneration Committee and a Non-executive Director at General Electric Company.

 

Mark Williamson stepped down as Chair and a member of the Audit Committee, with effect from 10 November 2020. Liz Hewitt, Independent Non-executive Director of the Company, stepped into the role on the same date.

 

Paul Golby stepped down as Chair of the Safety, Environment and Health Committee with effect from 1 April 2021 at which point Earl Shipp took over as Chair of the Committee. Paul remains a member of the Safety, Environment and Health Committee and will remain so until he retires from the Board at the conclusion of the 2021 AGM.