Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc
Strategic Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2023
The directors present the annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 of Northern
Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc (the "Company"), which have been drawn up and presented in accordance with the
Companies Act 2006.
BUSINESS MODEL
The Company is an authorised distributor under the Electricity Act 1989 and holds a Licence granted by the Secretary
of State. As a distribution network operator ("DNO"), the Company is regulated by the Office of Gas and Electricity
Markets (“Ofgem”), which in turn, is governed by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (“GEMA”). Ofgem
requires the DNOs to operate within a regulatory framework known as a price control, the purpose of which is to
protect the interests of end consumers by setting an upper limit on the amount the DNOs can charge for the use of
their networks. The completion of the 2022/23 Regulatory Year (on 31 March 2023), represented the final year of the
RIIO-ED1 price control, which became effective on 1 April 2015 and ended on 31 March 2023 (the “ED1 period”). 1
April 2023 denoted the start of the RIIO-ED2 price control, which will run for a period of five years to 31 March 2028
(the “ED2 period”).
The principal activity of the Company is the distribution of electricity to approximately 2.3 million customers
connected to its electricity distribution network (the “Network”) throughout the areas of West Yorkshire, East
Yorkshire, almost all of South Yorkshire, together with parts of North Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire,
Lincolnshire and Lancashire. The Company's Network includes over 55,000 kilometres of overhead and underground
cables and over 36,000 substations. Electricity is received from National Grid's transmission system and from
generators connected directly to the Network, and then distributed at voltages of up to 132 kilovolts.
Revenue generated by the Company is primarily controlled by a distribution price control formula which is set out in
the electricity distribution licence. The price control formula does not directly constrain profits from year-to-year but
is a control on revenue that operates independently of a significant portion of the Company’s costs. Allowed revenue
is recovered from electricity suppliers via the application of Distribution use of System charges. These charges
account for approximately 15% of the electricity end user’s overall electricity bill. The Company’s opening base
allowed revenue (excluding the effects of incentive schemes, volume or legislative driven adjustment mechanisms and
any contract liabilities ("deferred revenues") from the prior price control) has been set and therefore provides the
Company with some stability in terms of its income for each Regulatory Year from 1 April 2023 through to 31 March
2028. Nominal opening base allowed revenues increased in line with inflation (as measured by the average of the
United Kingdom's Retail Prices Index and Consumer Prices Index “CPI-H” in the month of April 2023, and as
measured by CPI-H there onwards).
STRATEGY
In common with Northern Powergrid Holdings Company and its subsidiaries (the “Northern Powergrid Group”), the
Company operates a strategy based on six core principles (the "Core Principles"), which comprise Financial Strength,
Customer Service, Operational Excellence, Employee Commitment, Environmental Respect and Regulatory Integrity.
The Core Principles (which are applied by the Northern Powergrid Group’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway
Energy Company ("Berkshire Hathaway Energy"), set out the basis on which the Company generates shareholder
value over the longer-term and defines the standards by which the Northern Powergrid Group holds itself accountable.
Each Core Principle is defined by a strategic objective which is linked to the commitments made in the Company’s
business plan for the ED2 period (the “Business Plan”).
Submitted to Ofgem in December 2021, the Business Plan (available via the Northern Powergrid Group website)
described the long-term strategy that the Company would achieve during the ED2 period in order to support
decarbonisation whilst delivering sustainable growth with regard to those with whom the Company interacted and
served.
Developed after a period of consultation with stakeholders, and in conjunction with the work of the Customer
Engagement Group (“CEG”), which was established for the purpose of providing independent scrutiny and challenge
to ensure that customers’ interests were adequately reflected, the Business Plan focused on a number of output areas.
The output areas, which link to the Core Principles, are described throughout the Strategic Report and include
(amongst others) reliability and availability, climate resilience, decarbonisation, safety, vulnerable customers and
customer service. These areas are supported by three enablers, being workforce resilience, innovation and data and
digitalisation. The directors refer to the values established by the Core Principles and the commitments contained
within the Business Plan when considering the consequence of decisions they make.
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