What we do

Electricity is the life blood of modern society.

Every day National Grid ESO moves over 730GWh of high-voltage electricity around the country. That’s enough to power 146 billion light bulbs!

We ensure that Great Britain has the essential energy it needs by making sure supply meets demand every second of every day.

We move electricity through the system

National Grid ESO moves high voltage electricity from where it’s generated, such as a wind farm, through the energy system.

Using the infrastructure owned by the 3 transmission companies - National Grid Electricity Transmission, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd. and SP Energy Networks, this high voltage electricity is passed onto one of the nine Distribution Network Operators across the country.

They own the local networks and convert it into a more manageable voltage that's suited for domestic use. Your local distribution network operator then feeds low voltage electricity through to your home or business property.

But who else is part of the British electricity system?

National Grid ESO - what we do - infographic

Britain's electricity system - who does what?

Great Britain's electricity system is one of the most sophisticated in the world, it's a complex machine with many moving parts.

From energy suppliers to aggregators, we each have a part to play - and National Grid ESO sits at the heart of it all.

But who does what exactly?

What are interconnectors?

Great Britain shares electricity with our neighbours from abroad, using interconnectors – cables which can transfer energy back and forth between countries.

National Grid ESO

Once generated, electricity is then transported through the UK’s nationwide transmission network.

We then move the electricity to where it is needed, balancing supply and demand second by second, 24/7.

We operate the system but we are not responsible for the infrastructure, for example the pylons and cables, needed to carry the electricity.

What are DNOs?

Distribution Network Operators provide the local wires which take the electricity from the grid and move it through their own network of power lines and underground cables, taking it to homes and businesses.

As they do this, they convert the high voltage electricity that’s in the network to the lower voltage electricity that homes and businesses use.

What are aggregators?

Aggregators are businesses that work with industrial and commercial energy consumers, who are able to flex their energy use to reduce or increase their demand in response to price signals.

For example, they could work with supermarkets to adjust their freezers to come on and off at different times rather than taking a steady supply.

What do energy suppliers do?

Suppliers buy electricity from generators and then sell it on to customers, competing to supply homes and businesses who are free to choose any supplier they like.

Today, the flow of electricity is getting more complex. This is because:

1. More renewable energy

We have a large and growing proportion of our electricity from renewables, and the amount of electricity generated varies depending on the weather.

2. A growing number of ways we can source electricity

Whereas before, we had a handful of mostly large transmission connected electricity generators, now there are 1000’s of decentralised generators (generation that is not connected to the transmission network, but rather on the distribution network or on site) as well, which is changing the pattern of electricity flows.

3. More ‘interconnectors’

Huge cables which allow us to trade electricity with other countries, are being built.

4. More participation in 'demand side response'

Large energy users, such as manufacturing plants, are incentivised to adjust how much electricity they use during peak times.

Our response to coronavirus

What we do

We move electricity through the system

Energy consumers

We manage the changing patterns of electricity demand and supply

1. More renewable energy

2. A growing number of ways we can source electricity

3. More ‘interconnectors’

4. More participation in 'demand side response'

We're transforming the system