National Gas Transmission at a glance
Current figures — last updated 2026-06-25- Legal name
- National Gas Transmission plc
- Former name
- National Grid Gas plc (until 2023)
- Owner
- Macquarie-led consortium (100% since Q1 2025)
- Network
- National Transmission System (NTS), ~7,660 km
- Region
- Great Britain (not Northern Ireland)
- Max pressure
- Up to 85 bar
- Compressor stations
- Around 25
- Regulator
- Ofgem (RIIO-GT3, 2026–2031)
- Runs the system?
- Yes — in real time (NESO only plans it)
What National Gas Transmission owns
The National Transmission System is the gas equivalent of the high-voltage electricity grid: a national network of large, high-pressure pipelines that move bulk gas long distances, before it is handed down to the regional networks at much lower pressure. National Gas Transmission owns and runs the whole of it across Great Britain.
High-pressure pipelines
Around 7,660 km of welded steel pipeline running at up to 85 bar, far above the low pressure delivered at your meter. This is the motorway network for Britain's gas.
Compressor stations
Around 25 compressor stations across the country keep gas moving and hold the pressure up so it can travel hundreds of kilometres from the coast to where it is used.
Entry terminals and offtakes
Gas enters at coastal terminals such as St Fergus, Easington, Bacton, Teesside and Barrow, plus interconnectors from Norway and the continent and LNG terminals. It leaves to power stations, large industry and the regional networks.
The belief to drop: "NESO took over the gas system too"
It is an easy assumption, because that is exactly what happened on the electricity side. The National Energy System Operator (NESO), publicly owned, launched on 1 October 2024 and took real-time control of the electricity grid away from National Grid. People reasonably assume gas works the same way. It does not.
For gas, NESO holds a Gas System Planner licence only. It looks ahead, modelling what the network will need and publishing strategic advice such as the Gas Network Capability Needs Report. But running the gas system in real time, balancing what flows in and out hour by hour, stayed with National Gas Transmission. So gas has its planning and its operation split between two bodies, while National Gas still owns the pipes and works the controls.
| Role | Who | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Owns and runs the NTS | National Gas Transmission | Builds, maintains and operates the high-pressure backbone in real time across Great Britain. |
| Plans the gas system | NESO | Strategic gas planning under a Gas System Planner licence. Publicly owned. Does not operate the pipes. |
| Delivers gas to your meter | Your gas distribution network | One of four regional networks owning the lower-pressure pipes to your home. Cannot be switched. |
| Sells you gas | Your supplier | Buys gas, bills you, the only link you can switch. |
Who do I actually call? Quick check
For a household gas problem, National Gas Transmission is almost never the answer. Pick your situation and the tool tells you who handles it. Every answer is also in the table underneath.
| Situation | National Gas Transmission? | Emergency / network | Supplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smell of gas / suspected leak | No | 0800 111 999 | No |
| Gas supply off (no smell) | No | Your gas network | Check first |
| Bill, tariff, meter | No | No | Yes |
| New domestic gas connection | No | Your gas network | No |
| Connect a power station / storage / interconnector | Yes | No | No |
How National Gas Transmission shows up on your bill
National Gas Transmission is a regulated monopoly. Ofgem caps the revenue it can earn under a five-year price control (the next one, RIIO-GT3, runs 2026–2031). Suppliers pay a transmission charge to move gas through the NTS and pass it into the gas part of your bill.
The transmission charge is only a small slice of a gas bill. The figure that moves your bill far more is the wholesale price of the gas itself, which is set on international markets, not by the network.
There is a second reason the NTS matters even if you heat with electricity: gas-fired power stations still set the electricity price for much of the year, and they are fed by this network. So the reliability of National Gas Transmission's pipes underpins both gas and electricity security of supply.
National Gas Transmission: frequently asked questions
National Gas Transmission owns and operates the National Transmission System (NTS): around 7,660 km of high-pressure pipeline (up to 85 bar) that carries gas across Great Britain from coastal terminals and interconnectors to power stations, large industry and the four regional gas distribution networks that own the lower-pressure pipes to your meter. It does not sell gas and does not bill households.
Not any more. The business was National Grid Gas plc until it was rebranded National Gas and sold off: National Grid plc sold 60% to a Macquarie-led consortium in 2023 and exited completely in the first quarter of 2025. National Gas Transmission is now wholly owned by that consortium (Macquarie Asset Management, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation and Australian Retirement Trust), not by National Grid.
No. Call the free National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, 24 hours a day. National Gas Transmission runs the high-pressure backbone, not the pipe into your home, and has no household emergency line. Open doors and windows, do not touch electrical switches or naked flames, and leave the property to make the call if you can.
No, and this is the common mix-up. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) launched on 1 October 2024 and took over real-time operation of the electricity system. For gas it holds a Gas System Planner licence only: it produces strategic plans such as the Gas Network Capability Needs Report. Real-time operation of the gas system stayed with National Gas Transmission.
No. The NTS covers Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is served by separate gas networks and is not connected to the NTS.