Northern Gas Networks’ pioneering H21 Leeds City Gate project is making headlines across the globe.

The H21 project, which calls for the UK gas grid to be converted to hydrogen starting with the Leeds city region, made its Australian TV debut in February.

NGN’s Special Advisor Dan Sadler appeared on Sky News Australian’s Smart Money programme, discussing H21 in depth.

The H21 report finds that converting the UK gas grid to hydrogen will be a major step towards meeting the UK’s carbon reduction targets. Currently, over 30% of all UK carbon emissions come from domestic heating and cooking. A UK-wide conversion to hydrogen gas will reduce heat emissions by a minimum of 73% as well as supporting decarbonisation of transport and localised electrical generation.

The report was jointly launched last summer by NGN, Kiwa Gastec, Amec Foster Wheeler and Wales & West Utilities.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distributer for the North of England, is due to carry out essential gas mains replacement works in the Hills Street area of Gateshead.

The major project is part of NGN’s ongoing investment in the area’s gas infrastructure and involves replacing over 160m of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued, safe and reliable supply of gas to customers for years to come.

The eight-week project, which is due to start on Monday 13 March 2017, has been carefully planned in conjunction with Gateshead Council.

Due to the location of the gas main and in order to carry out the works safely and efficiently, it will be necessary to introduce a road closure on Wellington Street for five weeks from Monday 27 March 2017. A clearly signed diversion route will be in place during this time for motorists to follow.

Vehicles will not be able to access Wellington Street from the A184 Askew Road while the road closure is in place.  All traffic will be diverted along Askew Road and will need to turn left at the traffic lights, heading towards the Tyne Bridge.  Traffic will then be diverted along Half Moon Lane to access Wellington Street.

It’s expected these work will cause some delays to journey times, so motorists are advised to leave extra time for travel during the road closure. NGN will endeavour to complete these works as soon as possible, and will provide updates on progress throughout the project.

Shops and businesses in the area will remain open as usual.

NGN’s Customer Care Officers have been door-knocking local homes and businesses to make customers aware of the project, while on-site signage will advise motorists of the work taking place.

Laura McKernan, Stakeholder Manager for Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with the local council to carefully plan these works and will be doing all we can to minimise disruption to customers.

“We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience customers may encounter, and thank them for their support as we work to complete this project as safely and quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk.

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Engineers from Northern Gas Networks (NGN) will begin essential gas mains repair work on Wakefield Road at Aspley in Huddersfield from Friday 10 March.

Teams have been closely monitoring a controlled gas escape at the junction of Wakefield Road and St Andrew’s Road, and will be carrying out repairs to fix the pipe in a project expected to last around three weeks.

The work has been carefully planned in collaboration with Kirklees Council Highways in order to minimise any disruption to customers.

So engineers can complete the repair as safely and quickly as possible, some temporary traffic management measures will be introduced.

From Friday 10 March, two lanes of the inbound A629 Wakefield Road heading towards Huddersfield town centre will be closed to traffic and there will be no right-hand turn for traffic into St Andrew’s Road while the works are carried out.

NGN will continue to assess the traffic management as work progresses and the measures in place may change depending on the complexity of the engineering work involved.

It’s expected the work will mean extended journey times for motorists, so drivers and pedestrians are advised to leave extra time for travel during the work.

Work will begin at 7pm on Friday 10 March, with teams of engineers working around the clock, seven days a week, to finish the project as quickly as possible.

NGN Customer Care Officers have been visiting businesses and residents in the area to make them aware of the work and will continue to provide updates throughout as repair work progresses.

Paul Sadler, Customer Operations Area Manager for Northern Gas Networks said: “The safety of our customers and engineers is our number one priority, and the traffic management is essential in ensuring the general public and our workforce stay safe at all times.

“We’re working closely with Kirklees Council Highways to minimise disruption to road users, residents and businesses while this essential repair work is taking place, and will continue to monitor and adjust the traffic management required as work progresses.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience at this time and apologise for any inconvenience experienced. We will keep residents and businesses updated throughout the work as we look to finish it as safely and quickly as possible.”

For further information about the work, customers can contact the NGN Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspect carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The North of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is celebrating registering its 100^th site with the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).

NGN distributes gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses across the North East, Northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire, to cities and towns including Newcastle, Darlington, Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Hull, York and Carlisle. It also provides the region’s rapid response team when a smell of gas is reported.

Since 1999, the CCS has been rewarding the UK’s most considerate sites for the contribution they have made towards improving the image of construction.

It looks at the measures a site has put in place to be more considerate towards local neighbourhoods and the public, the workforce and the environment.

Major Projects and Construction Services teams celebrate NGN’s 100th CCS site registration outside head office at Thorpe Park, Leeds.

NGN was the first UK gas distribution network to join the CCS, signing up its Major Projects and Construction Services teams three years ago.

Construction Services are responsible for the ongoing gas mains replacement programme, where ageing metal gas mains are replaced with new, more durable plastic pipes to ensure the safe continued and reliable supply of gas to customers for years to come.

All NGN projects scheduled to take more than six weeks to complete are registered with the CCS and NGN is now rolling out CCS principles to all its sites, including Emergency & Repair and Connections projects.

After winning 19 CCS National Site awards in 2016, including gold awards for gas holder sites in Stockton-on-Tees and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NGN teams are aiming to add to that haul at the 2017 ceremonies later this month.

In the meantime, NGN has become a Client Partner of the Scheme, making a commitment to improving the image of the construction industry by recommending registration to all its sites.

Client Partners also encourage compliance with all aspects of the Scheme’s Code of Practice and are invited to share best practice at regular meetings with other Partners.

Dean Shepherdson, Head of Construction Services for NGN said: “Registering NGN’s 100^th site is a real milestone for the business and testament to the hard work of our teams, who strive to make sure all our sites observe CCS best practice in terms of appearance, protecting the environment, safety, valuing the workforce and respect for neighbouring communities.

“As the first gas distribution network to sign up to the CCS, this achievement shows the commitment NGN has made towards ensuring our works have minimal impact on communities and that we’re delivering the best experience we can for our customers and our engineers.”

NGN is dedicated to maintaining its high standards on site, both for its customers and contractors. The company is constantly monitoring best practice and in doing so, regularly improving its processes and site efficiency.

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Northern Gas Networks, the gas distributer for the North of England, Northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire, launched its 2017 NGN Apprenticeship Programme this week.

The launch coincides with National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from March 6 – 10. The week aims to bring together employers and apprentices to celebrate the success of apprenticeships over the last decade, and encourage more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a great career.

Apprentices will be supported by a mentor throughout their programme

The utilities industry now more than ever relies on a high level of technical expertise, and NGN continually plans ahead to ensure the right people with the right skills are in place across the business.

Attracting new talent to replace colleagues taking well-earned retirement is essential in futureproofing the gas network for years to come, with more than 50% of NGN’s workforce now aged 40 or under.

In 2017, NGN will recruit operational apprentices in Tees, Cumbria, Pennines, Bradford, North Tyne, Wear, North Riding, East Riding, and Leeds.

The Gas Engineer programme spans three years, beginning with basic gas engineering, leading to service and mains laying techniques, before advancing to dealing with emergency gas escapes and connections works.

Corporate apprenticeships last two years and are specifically tailored for the successful candidate. Apprenticeships for 2017 will see roles filled in information systems, communications, quantity surveying, innovation, HR and stakeholder relations at the Leeds and Sunderland offices.

Each apprentice will be assigned a mentor to support them throughout the programme, and driving lessons and associated tests will help apprentices gain their licence.

Alex Willans, Learning and Development Specialist at NGN said: “Joining our Apprenticeship Programme is as much about attitude, passion and personality as it about academic success and vocational skills.

“Ideally we’re looking for a minimum of four GCSEs at Grade C or above, or the equivalent of Maths, English, a Science and ideally a technology subject, but we’ll aim to remove barriers for young apprentices.

“Looking for new talent allows the gas industry to continue to thrive; we are able to pass on a wealth of history and experience and look forward to finding potential leaders of the future.”

Lewis Jones, aged 28, joined NGN in 2011 as a First Call Operative apprentice. He is now a site manager in Newcastle.

Here’s his story…

“When I started with NGN I instantly felt like I was part of a family and that I had the support of all the colleagues around me. Around 1300 people applied to my intake and only 16 of us were taken on!

“Our training was based in Newcastle and consisted of a week every month in college for just over two years. The rest of the time we were on the district getting stuck in to what we had learned at college and getting a better understanding of the gas network. 

“This enabled us to interact with customers, evacuating where necessary, making sure that it is safe for everyone involved and dare I say it – we are saving lives… not all heroes wear capes…

“It was the best decision I have made in my career. I have never looked back since starting at NGN. I have been presented with opportunity to progress and I am now managing the area that I first started in.”

Applications for NGN’s Apprenticeship Programme can be submitted between 1^st March and 30^th April 2017.

Interviews and assessments will take place in May and June, with start dates scheduled for September.

For more information on NGN’s Apprenticeship Programme and the roles available, visit https://careers.northerngasnetworks.co.uk or visit Facebook.com/EvolveNGN or @NGN_Evolve on Twitter

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The North of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is carrying out essential gas mains replacement work on the B6145 Thornton Road in Bradford.

The project is part of NGN’s ongoing investment in the area’s gas infrastructure and will involve replacing around 270m of ageing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued, safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

The seven-week project began in February and has been carefully planned in conjunction with Bradford Council to minimise any potential inconvenience to customers.

In order to carry out the work safely and efficiently, temporary traffic management measures have been introduced.

A bus lane on B6145 has been closed to traffic and three-way traffic lights placed at the junction of Thornton Road and Hollings Road, manually operated between 7am and 7pm to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

It is expected these works will result in delayed journey times so motorists and pedestrians are advised to allow extra time for travel during the scheme.

The lights will become two-way from Monday 6 March which will help to reduce traffic congestion.

Engineers will continue working in the carriageway for another week before the project moves to a side street for a further week, where it will complete.

Shops and businesses in the area will remain open as usual throughout the project, and NGN’s Customer Care Officers have been door-knocking local homes and businesses to make customers aware of the project.

Ian Cunningham, Construction Services Area Manager for Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with Bradford Council to carefully plan these works and are doing all we can to minimise disruption to customers.

“This is essential work to replace a 100-year-old gas main and we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience customers may encounter as work continues.

“We’d like to thank them for their patience as we work to complete this project as safely and quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk.

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has presented Withernsea AFC with a cheque for £2,000 as a thank-you for their incredible support during a recent gas outage.

Engineers restored the gas supply to around 3,000 properties on Sunday 15 January, a day after it was lost to the town. Around 130 NGN colleagues then door-knocked every home in Withernsea to ensure customers were back on gas.

The Northern Gas Network team stands with Andy Beecham, Withernsea Junior FC club chairman (right), junior team players Freddy Finn (centre right) and Harry Finn (centre left), and junior club chairman, Tony Finn (left).

In the meantime, NGN set up a 24-hour customer drop-in centre at Withernsea AFC’s sports pavilion, supplying heaters, hot plates and food to local residents.

Russel Kaye, Customer Operations Area Manager for NGN recently presented Tony Finn of Withernsea AFC with the cheque to thank the club for their outstanding support.

Russel said: “The support we received from the Withernsea community as we carried out our work was incredible and we’d like to thanks everyone who helped out.

“Withernsea AFC and its members were outstanding, providing their pavilion for us to use all week so we’d like to say thank you by contributing £2,000 to the club for all the help they supplied.

“We’d also like to thank Withernsea Town Council, the British Red Cross, the fire service, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and local residents themselves for their support during the outage. We couldn’t have ensured such a swift resolution without them.”

Jayne Moxon, Town Clerk for Withernsea Town Council said: “We would like to thank everyone who turned out to help over the weekend. It’s amazing how much can be achieved when everyone is working together.

“NGN and ERYC Emergency planning team were organised from the onset and the information cascaded down to the appropriate people, it really was quite something.

“We were amazed and very grateful that NGN managed to get the supply back on as quickly as they did as the whole of the town was affected – it was a huge undertaking that we feel was very well organised.

“It was clear that NGN had the appropriate number of people on the ground to deal with the problem, assisted by the local people who turned out in their droves to help. Overall, a difficult situation well managed.”

A safety mechanism in the local governor station, which supplies gas to the area, is thought to have activated and shut down the flow of gas to Withernsea. Investigations into the cause of this are continuing, although it’s likely to be some time before results are concluded.

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), has been named the Utilities Complaint Team of the Year at the prestigious UK Complaint Handling Awards in London.

NGN was also named runner-up in the Internal Communication Excellence and Effectiveness category.

The awards ceremony, which took place at the Riverbank Park Plaza hotel on Thursday, rewards organisations that have achieved outstanding performance in the last year, focusing solely on how businesses manage consumer complaints.

NGN fought off competition from United Utilities and Scottish Water to win the team award.

NGN distributes gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses in the North East, Northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire, covering cities and towns including Leeds, Hull, Carlisle, Bradford, York, Huddersfield, Harrogate, Darlington and Newcastle.

Operating and maintaining a network of underground pipes measuring 37,000km – enough to stretch from London to Sydney and back – NGN is also provides the region’s rapid response team when a smell of gas is reported.

Based at the Doxford Park contact centre in Sunderland, NGN’s Customer Care team is responsible for handling any queries and complaints which may arise across the network.

By putting customers at the very heart of the business, and using pioneering technology such as Rant & Rave and Pingit, colleagues are empowered to go above and beyond to resolve issues.

This year NGN is on target to resolve 90% of its complaints within 60 minutes and Ofgem has rated NGN number one gas distribution network for customer satisfaction since 2014.

Eileen Brown, Customer Experience Director for NGN said: “This is fantastic recognition of the tireless work everyone at NGN continually puts in to go above and beyond for customers on every level.  We do things differently from other utility companies and that’s gaining us a lot of credit.

“This award is testament to the time, dedication and expertise NGN colleagues deliver on a daily basis to keep our customers cooking on gas. It’s amazing to present that and show what we’re achieving; we’re incredibly proud to win this award against some outstanding competition.”

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk or follow @NGNgas on Twitter

“Think big, start small”- Denise Massey, Energy Innovation Centre

Following directly on from the keynote speech from Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy MP, the Northern Gas Networks panel discussion- “powering the Powerhouse” brought together senior figures from across the energy sector to discuss the future of energy policy in the North.

The session was opened by George Beveridge from the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) who set out the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. The rapid decline of coal – with most scheduled to come off grid by 2020 – was highlighted as the most impending threat as no one replacement had come to the fore-front as a natural replacement.

He spoke of the physical and intellectual infrastructure of the North as a key asset, however and highlighted the fact that nearly 50% of all of the UK’s renewable energy is generate in the North.

He went on to look at projects , such as Northern Gas Network’s H21 City Gate project in Leeds as the “big ideas” which can lead the country to meet its de-carbonisation targets. He also referenced the potential of shale and the unique geology of the North allowing for gas storage in vast salt caverns.

John Humphrys of BBC Radio 4, who was moderating the session, challenged the panel on “whether we will be able to keep the lights on?”

Denise Massey, Managing Director of the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), tackled this first, focussing her answers on the need for the sector to come together to find a solution to this common problem: “we have the knowledge and the ambition – we need an energy mix which is integrated.”

Andy Manning, Director of Network Regulation, Forecasting and Settlements at British Gas followed to say that business needs to see energy as an opportunity not a cost, and come together to deliver affordable, long term solutions.

Picking up this baton, Andy Koss of Drax, who operate their power station on 50% wood pellets as opposed to coal, challenged the panel, and those across industry in the North, to “de-carbonise using the skills and resources we already have.” Echoing this, Denise Massey said that the whole of the Northern energy economy needs to “think big, then start small” in designing and delivering a multi vector solution to the de-carbonisation problem.

Francis Egan of Caudrilla spoke of the “multi-decade” potential of the Bowland shale and, while still at an early stage, how it could play a huge part in the low carbon, future energy mix required.

The discussion turned to devolution and to ask whether a specific Northern Energy Strategy was required – an idea to be “closely looked at” according to George Beveridge from Cumbira LEP.  Drax were similarly supportive, but said that it needs to be attached to a regional legislative body to be successful – citing the Scottish Government as an example of a body pursuing regional energy goals.

Away from a specific strategy, the key to a successful energy future in the North, Andy Koss said, was the “go back to basics, keep our good people and businesses in the region and invest in the great opportunities we already have.”

This was a feeling felt across the panel – with Caudrilla saying it would be “madness” not to use indigenous gas if it is safe and available, and Drax highlighting the conversion to wood pellets from Coal as an example of creative thinking.

From a financial perspective, Mike Dunn from Iona Capital said that the markets were looking for opportunities in low carbon energy innovation and challenged all businesses present to put forward their business cases for funding to get the process started.

H21 – A hydrogen led future

The panel was concluded by NGN’s Special Advisor, Dan Sadler looking at the potential for hydrogen conversion of the heat network, as we are examining as part of our H21 City Gate Project.

He left the panel and audience in no doubt as to the size of the de-carbonisation challenge – “it is like telling me I need to completely demolish and re-build my house by next week.”

NGN’s H21 project is looking at the feasibility of converting the gas network to hydrogen, and was hailed throughout the session as the sort of “big thinking” required if the UK is to meet its carbon obligations. Dan presented the case to the panel and the auditorium: “The network is the right size to convert to hydrogen- with technology today we could do it.”

Echoing the earlier calls from Denise Massey and Andy Koss, Dan called on policy makers and industry to work together, saying that a decision must be taken and enacted by 2020 if we have any chance of hitting the 2050 targets.

The session closed with an uplifting call to arms, as Dan presenting the panel with the amazing opportunity of the North being “the first true hydrogen economy in the world.”

For more information about H21, the report and executive summary can be downloaded here: http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/archives/document/h21-leeds-city-gate

A short film about the H21 project is available to watch here: http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/archives/9689

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £213,000 to upgrade the ageing metal gas distribution network in Bagdale, Victoria Square and Silver Street, Whitby.

The major project is part of NGN’s’ ongoing development of infrastructure in the area and will involve replacing 270m of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

The project, which began on Wednesday 4 January and is expected to last around 11 weeks, is progressing well, having been planned in conjunction with North Yorkshire County Council to ensure all works are completed with as little disruption as possible.

In order to carry out the scheme safely and efficiently, the work is being carried out in two phases.

Phase One is now complete and Phase Two, which will last around seven weeks, began on Monday 30 January.

During this time, Brunswick Street will be temporarily closed to motorists however the work will be carried out in sections so access to Walker Street and Newton Street can be maintained.

From Friday 17 February, the entrance to Flowergate will be closed, however access to Brunswick Street is being maintained via Bagdale.

Clearly signed diversion routes will be in place for motorists to follow and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.

Engineers will be working from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm.

Robert Hope, Construction Services Area Manager at Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with North Yorkshire County Council to carefully plan these works in order to minimise any disruption to customers.

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and thank our customers for their patience and support in getting them completed as quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.