![]() He is trying to engage the public in the Great Grid Upgrade, the £54bn task of upgrading the pylons and cables connecting offshore wind and solar projects to the electricity network as part of the push for net zero. It’s more than just looking after some electrical infrastructure: it’s about energy security and affordability, and tackling climate change And Pettigrew, too, is planning his own new chapter for the country – albeit with a tad less pomp and ceremony. In the distance, down the Mall, we can see marquees being erected in preparation for next weekend’s coronation festivities, as Britain formally enters a new royal era. His desk at National Grid’s grandiose London headquarters overlooks Trafalgar Square. Negotiations on the price the government will pay National Grid for the ESO have yet to begin, Pettigrew says. Some of National Grid’s responsibilities will be nationalised later this year, when the spin-out of its electricity system operator (ESO) – which ensures that energy supply meets demand – is ratified in legislation. In an indicator of its low-carbon direction, 70% of its assets are in electricity, and 30% in gas. National Grid is a £42bn FTSE 100 company that operates Britain’s power infrastructure, and its assets are split roughly equally on both sides of the Atlantic. Never before has the business of energy, and keeping lights on and homes warm, been as critical, and this previously staid business has been thrust into the public eye. Russia’s state-owned gas behemoth, Gazprom, has been busily trolling Europe, claiming that next winter could be harder. Despite a recent easing in wholesale gas prices, he expects bills to remain above historical highs with “some tension in the system for a couple of years”. But he believes it is still “a bit early” to say whether we should be concerned about supply shortages for next winter, with the quantities of gas imported to Europe in the coming months a major factor. The spring weather may be taking its time to arrive, but Pettigrew is already turning his mind to next winter, with plans afoot to expand the flexibility service. Those “products” were new technical tweaks that National Grid added to the formerly monolithic power system: a demand flexibility service, which paid consumers to shift their energy use away from periods of high usage, and contracts to keep coal plants on standby, at a cost of up to £420m. “The weather was relatively mild and when we did see cold periods, the products that we developed were very useful.” “We came through the winter remarkably well,” Pettigrew says, in deep Welsh tones. The weather was relatively mildĪs it turned out, worries that Vladimir Putin would halt Russian gas supplies into Europe did not materialise and cold snaps were not prolonged, so the continent’s gas storage caverns could remain well stocked. We came through the winter remarkably well. Last autumn, National Grid voiced concerns that Britons could experience blackouts as well as wallet-busting bills during the coldest months. We cannot advise whether a person carrying on an activity or proposing to carry on an activity will be exempt or excepted from the requirement to hold a licence.Pettigrew has just ridden out a tense winter, marked by people having to choose between heating and eating and talk of power cuts. It is for the applicant to ascertain whether the proposed activity falls within the scope of an exception. Schedule 2A of The Gas Act 1986 (as amended) sets out certain exceptions to the need to hold a licence. You may wish to view examples of gas exemption orders and electricity exemption orders. We are unable to advise you on exemptions and recommend you consult the Gas Act 1986, the Electricity Act 1989, your legal counsel and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. This means that some activities that fall within the definitions of a licensable activity are, in fact, exempt from the need to hold licences. ![]() The Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 allow the Secretary of State to make orders giving exemptions from the need to hold licences. Exemptions can apply to individual cases or a class of activity and may be unconditional or subject to certain conditions including length of time. ![]() There are some instances when you will not need to apply for a licence. ![]()
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