National Gas

Does the core business genuinely avoid or reduce emissions, or build climate resilience? Share of revenue that is actually 'green'. Fossil-dependent models score low.

The core business is transporting fossil natural gas at scale; while the company aspires to pivot to hydrogen and biomethane transport, today's revenue and infrastructure are almost entirely fossil-fuel dependent, and pipeline fugitive methane — itself a potent greenhouse gas — represents an unresolved material emission source.

Credible, science-based targets (SBTi), a real net-zero plan with progress to date, and CDP disclosure — not just a dated press release.

National Gas has stated a net-zero ambition for its own carbon emissions by 2040 (a decade ahead of the UK government's 2050 target), with a fallback commitment to 2050, and publishes Environmental Action Plans per regulatory price-control period; however, no SBTi-validated science-based targets were found in the public record, CDP disclosure status is unconfirmed, and the self-stated targets cover only operational (Scope 1/2) emissions while the far larger Scope 3 throughput emissions go unaddressed.

Operational footprint, labour and social practices, and governance quality across the company's own operations and supply chain.

The FY2024/25 annual report highlights a zero public-injury record, a Lost-Time Injury Frequency Rate of 0.02 per 100,000 hours, an Employee Net Promoter Score of +29, and active community/charity programmes; governance is regulated by Ofgem under RIIO-T2 with mandatory reporting, providing a reasonable baseline — but ESG ambition is constrained by the regulated monopoly model and the inherent emissions profile of the asset base.

Quality of disclosure, independent third-party verification, and how much hard data backs the company's claims.

National Gas publishes Annual Environmental Reports and an Annual Report and Accounts under Ofgem regulatory requirements, and has produced a Climate Change Adaptation Report (2024) under DEFRA's ARP4 requirement; however, no independently verified CDP score was located, no SBTi submission is confirmed, and the accuracy of fugitive methane reporting has been called into question by independent academic surveys that found emissions from the high-pressure NTS to be materially larger than reported figures.

Controversies, litigation, pollution, fossil-fuel lobbying, conflict-zone involvement and governance scandals. Higher means cleaner.

A 2021 Clean Air Task Force investigation (conducted when the asset was still under National Grid ownership, which directly predates National Gas's legal separation) found significant methane venting at compressor stations using infrared cameras, with emissions described as among the largest witnessed in Europe; independently, a peer-reviewed 2018 study of the UK National Transmission System found soil CH4 fluxes suggesting fugitive emissions of ~62.6 kt CH4/yr from high-pressure pipelines. These pre-date but are structurally continuous with National Gas's current operations and indicate a credible, ongoing material risk.