COP26: How we are supporting a sustainable future

    Following on from postponement in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 26th annual United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26) takes place in Glasgow from 1st to 12th November 2021. We know that global climate change is the most pressing challenge facing society, that’s why our Future of Gas project aims to work towards a sustainable future in energy production. This challenge is predominantly an energy challenge and to complete it, all societies must have access to world leading, innovative and cost-effective energy networks.

    The UN Climate Change conference is an opportunity for world leaders to get together and discuss the climate change emergency and what action each country plans to take to tackle it. It will be attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is a treaty agreed in 1994.

    The COP26 conference is also known as Conference of the Parties, with this being the 26th edition. The 2021 summit is being hosted by the United Kingdom and takes place in Glasgow, Scotland. This is alongside the UK’s plans to become Net Zero for carbon emissions by 2050.

    The 2021 COP26 conference will be held between Monday 1st November and Friday 12th November 2021 and takes place at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, Scotland.

    We are playing a leading role in helping the UK reach our Net Zero target, by connecting greater levels of renewable gas and leading on new technologies and infrastructure to cut our carbon emissions across heat and transport.

    The next decade is non-negotiable in the progress to achieving NetZero. The CCC recently noted that emissions reductions from sectors other than energy generation are far short of where we need to be. If we are to have any chance of meeting our ambitions, then energy networks like us will need to play a critical role.

    The UK gas network is a strategic national asset that connects 24 million homes across the country. It is vital that this is fully utilised on our path to Net Zero.

    The pathways tell us that the total projected future hydrogen demand for the combined region is: 22.4TWh and that the combined region will need to ramp up building retrofitting to a rate of 700 per day in the next 5 years, so there is a big challenge ahead of us.

    It’s now accepted across the UK and through work such as the Pathways that hydrogen will need to play a role in the UK’s future energy scenario, with projects such as Hydeploy and Hynet working towards making this a reality.

    You can find out more about our hydrogen programme here.

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    What are we doing?

    We’re involved in several hydrogen projects in partnerships with the energy sector.

    The three main areas we lead on are blending, industrial power and decarbonising heavy transport.

    Future of gas

    Shaping a more sustainable future

    Protecting the environment and transforming our energy system is hugely important for us and the communities we serve – now and for the future.

    To ensure that we are at the forefront of creating energy solutions for the future, we work closely with government on policy, reaching out to new audiences, experimenting in our communication methods and innovating with the support of partners and our supply chain to reduce our carbon footprint.

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    Helping Greater Manchester reach net zero by 2038

    Unlocking net zero for the UK: HyNet

    Building awareness of the energy transition

    Leading the future of low carbon transport

    Hydrogen to heat our homes: HyDeploy

    A cleaner, greener gas network: OptiNet

    Supporting our customers

    Keeping people safe, warm and independent

    Anyone can be vulnerable if their circumstances change and rather than using labels, we prefer to focus on individual needs and what we can do to ensure customers stay safe, warm, connected and independent in their homes.

    Our customer vulnerability strategy forms the backbone of our approach and focuses on our stakeholders’ top priorities: increasing PSR registrations, raising awareness of carbon monoxide (CO), tackling fuel poverty and providing services for all.

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    How to spot, stop and prevent scams

    Community outreach in Central Lancashire

    Raising awareness of anosmia: Sense of smell

    Warm Hubs

    Gas safety campaigns 2020/21

    Enhanced volunteering: COVID-19

    Teaching children about carbon monoxide saves lives

    Committed to a better future: Cadent Foundation

    Engaging in new ways to reduce fuel poverty

    Engaging during a pandemic

    Accessibility and inclusion

    Providing services for all

    Being trusted by our customers is extremely important to us. We’re an essential public service provider so it’s important that you trust us to act responsibly for our communities and always deliver on our promises.

    To truly respond to our customers’ needs, it’s vital that our workforce reflects the communities we serve. We work hard to create an inclusive environment for colleagues, customers and communities.

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    An inclusive work environment

    Equal opportunities for all: The Race at Work Charter

    Youth Friendly Employer

    A commitment to the Armed Forces

    Becoming Disability Confident

    Data and innovation

    Enhancing customer experience

    We're committed to providing an outstanding experience for our customers.

    Our focus now and for the foreseeable future is to keep innovating at pace, bringing effective tools, techniques and processes to market to keep the energy flowing safely, reliably and with minimal disruption.

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    Accessibility in an emergency: EasyAssist Emergency Control Valve (ECV)

    A collaborative approach to public engineering works

    Putting customer welfare first: Welfare decision tool

    Keeping us connected: CISBOT

    Tackling isolation with technology: Connect the Community Challenge

    A smarter way to remove water: Top Tee Siphon Adaptor

    Leading the way on complex pipe repairs

    Keeping the gas flowing in lockdown

    Transforming gas mains replacement: Foam Bag Operation on Stubs

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