Explore the National Grid
Three guides cover the transmission network from every angle: what it is, how it differs from the other companies on the grid, and the system operator that now runs it.
Start here
What is the National Grid
The plain-English guide: what the transmission network is, what voltage it runs at, who owns it across Britain, and what it is made up of.
Read the guideWho does what
National Grid vs DNO vs NESO
The three jobs on the grid, side by side: the high-voltage owner, the local cable owners, and the system operator that directs it all.
Read the guideThe system operator
NESO explained
The National Energy System Operator now runs the grid in real time. What it does, why it was split from National Grid, and how you can earn from it.
Read the guideWho owns transmission across Great Britain
"National Grid" owns the high-voltage network in England and Wales only. Scotland's transmission belongs to two other companies. All three are overseen by the regulator, Ofgem, and all three are directed in real time by NESO.
| Area | Transmission owner | Note |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | National Grid Electricity Transmission | The largest transmission network in Britain. |
| Southern Scotland | SP Energy Networks (SP Transmission) | ScottishPower owns the high-voltage network in the south of Scotland. |
| Northern Scotland | SSEN Transmission (SHE Transmission) | Carries a large share of Britain's onshore and offshore wind onto the grid. |
Quick clarification
Searching "National Grid" mostly returns the share price, because National Grid plc is a big listed company. This guide is about the physical electricity network it owns, the part that matters when you want to understand your power supply, a power cut or your bill, not the stock.
Find your cheapest electricity tariff
You cannot switch the network or the system operator, only your supplier. That is the one lever that changes your bill. Compare every live UK tariff, cheapest first.
Cheapest live rate now: British Gas at 23.85p/kWh, about 9% below the 26.11p cap.
National Grid: your questions answered
National Grid owns and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, the pylons and 400 kV and 275 kV lines that move power in bulk from generators to the regional distribution networks. Since 2024 it no longer operates the system in real time; that is now NESO. National Grid does not sell electricity to homes and does not bill you.
National Grid plc, a listed company, owns the transmission network in England and Wales. In Scotland, transmission is owned by SP Transmission (south) and SSEN Transmission (north). The body that runs the system across Great Britain, NESO, is publicly owned by the UK government.
No. National Grid owns transmission wires; it does not sell you energy. Your supplier (British Gas, Octopus, EDF, OVO and so on) buys electricity and bills you. The cost of the transmission and local networks is bundled into your bill and passed back to the network owners. You can switch supplier; you cannot switch network.
Not since 2024. The system operator role, balancing supply and demand and planning the network, was separated from National Grid and taken into public ownership as the National Energy System Operator (NESO). National Grid remains the transmission owner in England and Wales, but the day-to-day running of the system is now NESO's job.