National Grid Electricity Distribution Joins the South West Business Council – By Jacob Wallace, Public Affairs Manager, NGED
The South West is on the cusp of a decisive decade. As homes, businesses, and public services electrify heat, transport and industry, the region’s prosperity will increasingly rely on an electricity distribution grid that is resilient, future-ready and easy to connect to. That is the job of National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED)—the UK’s largest electricity distribution network operator, serving around 25 million people across the East Midlands, West Midlands, South Wales and the South West.
NGED owns, operates and upgrades the power lines, cables, substations and control systems that deliver safe, reliable electricity to homes and businesses. In the South West alone, we operate around 51,000 km of network across a surface area of roughly 14,000 km²—supplying 1.6 million homes and businesses. We employ over 1,600 colleagues across 20 depots and offices in the South West. Our teams are out in the field every day fixing network faults, maintaining assets, delivering upgrades and reinforcement work to connect new customers, all while keeping power flowing safely and reliably.
We’ve joined the South West Business Council because we are, at heart, a regional business – starting out decades ago as the South Western Electricity Board. Our engineers live and work here; our depots are embedded in their local communities; and our investments underpin growth across Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and even a small bit of Dorset. Between 2023 and 2028, we are investing £1.4 billion in the South West’s local electricity network. That investment supports local supply chains, creates skilled jobs, and ensures the region remains attractive for inward investment.
The grid: foundation of growth
A strong local electricity network is the invisible foundation of economic development. It powers new homes, agri‑food, the extraction of critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, ports, airports, digital infrastructure, and public services. It also enables businesses to decarbonise by electrifying transport, heat, and industrial processes, and by connecting on‑site generation and battery storage. As electricity becomes the backbone of a more home‑grown, secure energy system, the role of the local grid has never been more important.
ED3 – the next electricity distribution price control period, which runs from 2028 to 2033, will mark a fundamental shift from incremental investment to strategic, anticipatory investment at scale. Demand for electricity is expected to double by 2050 as electric vehicles, heat pumps and low carbon renewable generation connect in large numbers to the grid. Clean Power 2030 means networks must be ready ahead of need. This requires building capacity before it becomes a constraint on growth.
ED3 will be different from ED2 (the current 2023–2028 period) in three key ways: earlier investment to create capacity headroom; planning for a system that will both grow and fundamentally change shape; and a stronger focus on resilience, digitalisation and flexibility to keep costs down for customers. The aim is simple: the network should enable progress, never constrain it.
Your voice matters
Businesses are at the forefront of the energy transition, and their investment decisions depend on timely, reliable grid connections. That is why engagement with the business community is essential as we shape our ED3 business plan. Understanding where capacity, connections or resilience matter most will help us target investment where it delivers the greatest economic value. We want to build and submit a business plan to Ofgem that has the needs and interests of the South West front and centre. To do that, we need your input and insights.
This summer, NGED will be hosting a programme of engagement events across our operational area, including in the South West, focused on understanding business priorities for the upcoming price control. These conversations will help ensure the future grid is resilient, ready and readily connectable – supporting economic growth while keeping the lights on.
Get involved
ED3 is a once in a generation opportunity to build an electricity network that underpins prosperity in the South West for decades to come. We are building a network fit for the future and we need your input. We’re encouraging the business community to give us their views and insights across the region to help us shape a plan that works for the South West. To find out more or to get involved, please see here or contact: [email protected].
Images courtesy of National Grid Electricity Distribution
