Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: National Grid demonstrates policy engagement that is partially aligned with policy pathways aiming to deliver the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. The company is actively engaged on climate policy, with evidence of advocacy in the EU, UK, and the US, including at the state-level in Massachusetts and New York. The company engages with a mix of positive and negative positions, advocating for net-zero infrastructure in the UK while opposing state-level building decarbonization proposals in the US. National Grid is a board member of the American Gas Association and a member of Gas Infrastructure Europe, both of which strategically advocate for fossil gas infrastructure.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: National Grid’s top-line messaging on climate policy is positive. As stated in its annual report published in May 2025, the company supports global emissions reductions in line with a 1.5°C target. In December 2023, the company signed a joint letter that advocated for governments to increase investments toward climate. National Grid also appeared to advocate for greater ambition in the UNFCCC process, stating in a January 2023 interview with Climate Action that the COP27 final agreement “didn’t set out more ambitious action to cut emissions.”
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: National Grid demonstrates mostly positive positions on climate-related policy in recent years. Regarding the EU and the UK, the company signed an April 2025 joint letter calling for the UK and EU Emissions Trading Scheme to be linked, emphasizing that this would help each jurisdiction achieve its 2050 carbon neutrality goals. In an April 2024 response to the UK’s Net Zero and Trade Inquiry, the company expressed a similar position. In the US, National Grid signed September 2023 joint comments in support of the Department of Energy’s proposal to raise the ambition of energy conservation standards for residential electric and gas water heaters.
Positioning on Energy Transition: National Grid takes a mix of positions on the energy transition, supporting clean energy infrastructure while advocating for a long-term role for fossil gas. In its annual report from May 2023, the company’s Chair, Paula Rosput Reynolds, stated that “the energy transition will take time” and stressed the importance of fossil gas. These positions are reflected in National Grid’s engagement on federal and state decarbonization policies in the US. The company submitted February 2024 comments that opposed the proposed guidance for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean hydrogen tax credit, as well as May 2024 joint comments that advocated against the EPA proposing a stringent carbon standard for existing gas-fired power plants. In New York, the company heavily engaged during the drafting of the New York Climate Scoping Plan in 2022, submitting at least ten statements that pushed back on the building electrification proposals; more recently, it also submitted June 2025 individual and joint comments that did not fully support implementation of New York’s building electrification law. However, in the UK, National Grid released a May 2023 report that called for the country to enact more ambitious policy to build out clean energy infrastructure and reduce the country’s reliance on imported fossil gas.
Industry Association Governance: National Grid published an industry association review in March 2024. The company retains membership to the Edison Electric Institute and Gas Infrastructure Europe, both of which advocate for fossil gas infrastructure. National Grid serves on the 2025 Board of Directors for American Gas Association, a highly obstructive group that continues to oppose building electrification measures in the US.
A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap'sCA100+ Investor Hub here.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.