Eagle Eye Magazine Issue 1 2023

targets for 2035, and that includes electrification. This means
looking at the needs of solar farms and offshore wind farms,
as well as seeing that distribution networks are signalling that
they’re seeing growth in terms of connections, for example for
electric charging points at people’s homes or electrification of
domestic heating. We look at the information we have in front of
us today and alongside that, we are increasingly using scenariomodelling.
So, we take what is known and think about what is not
yet certain and try to understand what it means for our network
in the future and the investments we need to make today. We’re
focused on the concept of anticipatory investment and developing
our investments with the future in mind.
Today’s grid was built to facilitate a 275-kilovolt network so
people could have all the new household electrical appliances that
became available in the 1950s onwards but they built the grid to
be capable of carrying 400 kilovolts. It was built with upgrade
capacity; it was built with the future in mind. We need to do the
same thing now as we rewire the grid and build in an even more
anticipatory way than we have ever done before to support the
growth we predict is coming. This all means we need a change
to our regulatory framework. Our future way of working will
have to be different from the way we
have built things in the past couple of
decades when the focus has been on
least cost and building just what you
need, when you need it.
Wind and solar energy are very dependent on the weather and
time of day so can the grid store it to be used when we need it?
National Grid Electricity Transmission doesn’t own storage,
but we see storage (technology that acts like a battery storing
and releasing power when needed) playing a vital part in the
whole network solution in the future, both in managing system
operations and mitigating the need for infrastructure.
At Oxford, we are just down the road from JET, the world’s
largest and most advanced tokamak used to study fusion
energy. Where do you see nuclear power, fission or, further
ahead, fusion, fitting into the energy mix?
Nuclear is definitely part of the mix; our Hinkley Connection
Project will enable us to connect Hinkley Point C, EDF Energy’s
new nuclear power station in Somerset, along with other new
sources of low-carbon energy to homes and businesses. We will
need all sorts of renewable power solutions to get to net zero:
solar, batteries, onshore and significantly offshore wind, with
government targets of 50GW by 2030.
National Grid employees were some of the unsung key workers
during the COVID-19 pandemic. What did you have to do
during that time to keep the lights on for everyone?
One of the things we had to do was build a little impromptu
village on our core site. We have roles in our control rooms and
centres which have to be staffed 24/7. While we have a degree of
resilience in our shift teams, it was clear that we couldn’t afford
for a whole shift team to be unwell and/or isolating. We adopted
very stringent hygiene arrangements early on and segregated our
“We continually invest to adapt and
develop our network in order to
connect homegrown green energy
which will help reduce energy bills
24/7 workers from the rest of the workforce. As part of being
very cautious from the outset, we built on-site ‘glamping’ pods
so these key workers could be literally in a bubble. Many of
them heroically stayed on site away from their families for long
periods of time, making a sacrifice to ensure the running of this
crucial service.
It’s always good to see women in leadership positions,
particularly in industries where they are traditionally
underrepresented. What would you say to a young graduate
looking for a role in your sector?
It was very different when I started over 20 years ago. I was
laughing at an internal conference just last week that I actually
had to queue for the ladies’ toilets. I’m pleased to say that it
feels like a very diverse workplace now and I don’t feel like an
outlier. National Grid has very good flexible working policies and
provision for families. We have diversity in our people and also in
our thinking.
My advice would be, if you’re passionate about industry, which
I am because there’s nothing better than getting your hands on
stuff that really powers a nation, and
you’re interested in STEM, there’s
nothing to hold you back. If you want
a role with a real sense of purpose
in the energy industry then it’s a
brilliant place to be and there’s an
unbelievable transformation taking
place, which you can be a part of. We need more people to join
us: we need problem-solvers and policymakers so, although we
have many people coming from a STEM background, I also see
people coming to us from a multitude of other backgrounds, from
archaeology to the performing arts. You just need a passion for
problem-solving.
How did your degree in Mathematics and Philosophy prepare
you for the kind of creative and strategic thinking needed to
address the complex and urgent issues facing the industry?
I think it equipped me to walk into a role with a good problemsolving
mindset. I think the two subjects are often about
understanding and constructing good arguments and being
able to communicate those clearly. Often, we are trying to take
complex engineering solutions and translate them into something
people will find compelling in a wider social context, and I think
the process and approach of my degree has set me in good stead
for this.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love my role. It’s incredibly satisfying: I feel every day that I’m
having conversations about how we’re contributing to the running
of the UK and that keeps me very motivated. I think the thing I
enjoy most is how the work links so directly to something I deeply
value, namely the journey to net zero. I care passionately about
the environment and the fact that I can get up every day and do a
job that contributes in a tangible way towards helping it is great.
I also like the level of transformation we’re undergoing now: it’s
daunting at times, but I relish it.
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