Transforming National Grid Electricity Transmission’s carbon management capabilities

Mott MacDonald’s Carbon Portal is supporting NGET’s ambition to deliver its construction projects as low carbon intensity as possible, while meeting increasing expectations for alignment with the global standard for carbon management, PAS 2080.

NGET and its supply chain previously used a spreadsheet-‑based carbon tool. However, as its programme grew in scale and complexity, the need for a more robust and scalable approach became clear. With a focus on capital carbon, the transition to Carbon Portal marks a natural evolution – enabling a broader whole‑life perspective, supporting evolving regulatory expectations and helping to drive faster, more coordinated delivery across an expanding portfolio of projects. As with all UK energy networks, NGET is required to comply with reporting requirements from the energy regulator, Ofgem, including numeric KPIs for its carbon footprint and a narrative commentary on how it is addressing embodied carbon.

“It quickly became evident that NGET needed a shared, programmatic way of managing carbon,” explains Mott MacDonald technical director for decarbonisation Mark Crouch. “If every organisation is doing something different, you can’t drive meaningful reductions at scale. NGET needed a tool that the entire supply chain could rely on, day in, day out.”

Deploying a unified digital solution

That solution was Mott MacDonald’s Carbon Portal.  Delivered by blending software‑as‑a‑service with Mott MacDonald’s consulting expertise, Carbon Portal is designed to democratise low carbon design. It enables everyone involved in a project – not just carbon specialists – to carry out structured, high‑quality carbon assessments. With a clean interface, quality‑assured data libraries and workflows aligned with PAS 2080, the platform helps teams make informed, transparent decisions from the earliest design stages.

The tool has been shaped through more than 250 user interviews and built on Mott MacDonald’s experience as a co-author of PAS 2080.  Working closely with NGET’s carbon team, Mott MacDonald adapted the platform to reflect the specifics of transmission delivery.

“This included creating bespoke emissions libraries for key assets, aligning methodologies with internal NGET processes and establishing a governance framework that supports consistent reporting across the supply chain,” explains Mott MacDonald client director for National Grid Craig Lucas.

The work was supported through Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance, with the deployment designed to run in parallel with live projects so as not to disrupt delivery.

Driving adoption and collaboration

Collaboration was at the heart of this transformation. NGET established strong sponsorship internally, set clear expectations for use and eventually made Carbon Portal a contractual requirement at key design stages. A contractor carbon steering group played a central role in shaping training and guidance so that the rollout felt practical and supportive.

“For carbon management to work at the scale, NGET requires that everyone has to move together,” says Mark. “Carbon Portal has enabled exactly that – bringing designers, contractors and client teams into one, unified way of working.”

The impact has been significant. More than 400 users across over 40 organisations now use Carbon Portal as part of their routine workflow. Activities that once required fragmented spreadsheets can now be completed in a single system, with full transparency of data sources and assumptions.

The platform is supporting real carbon reduction. Carbon Portal is currently helping NGET identify and track carbon savings across more than 100 projects. “The transparency and consistency the platform enables were also critical in helping NGET secure PAS 2080 verification, with its shared methodology across the supply chain cited as a major strength,” adds Craig.

If every organisation is doing something different, you can’t drive meaningful reductions at scale

Delivering national impact

The adapted version of Carbon Portal was launched in June 2025 and interest has since grown across the wider National Grid group. Insights from international partners already using Carbon Portal, such as Transpower in New Zealand, have also shaped the roll out, reinforcing the platform’s global relevance.

Since its NGET launch, Carbon Portal has been recognised nationally, winning the Carbon Reduction Award at the Utility Week Awards for the work at NGET and Best Use of Technology: Carbon Reduction in Design at New Civil Engineer and Construction News’ TechFest awards. “These wins highlight the strength of our partnership with NGET and the impact Carbon Portal is already having in transforming low‑carbon decision‑making across the sector,” says Mark.

NGET head of environment, sustainability and energy Paul de Jong describes the shift as a major step forward: “Carbon Portal has fundamentally strengthened the way we manage carbon across our projects. It gives our teams and supply chain a single, consistent and trusted framework for whole life carbon assessments, helping us make better informed decisions at pace. As we continue to enhance portfolio reporting and insights, this will transform the way we deliver low carbon infrastructure.”

Benchmark for digital transformation

Looking ahead, Carbon Portal will support NGET through the current regulatory investment period, underpinning its proposed £31bn investment programme. It will help teams evaluate design choices, identify high‑impact interventions and report consistently at both project and portfolio levels.

“This innovation helps deliver the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 mission in a sustainable, low-carbon way,” says Craig. “As the energy system expands at unprecedented speed, the carbon footprint of that build‑out becomes critically important. Carbon Portal gives NGET the intelligence to make carbon‑informed decisions at every stage of delivery.”

Mark adds: “Together, NGET and Mott MacDonald are setting a new benchmark for digital decarbonisation, demonstrating how data‑driven insights, strong collaboration and user‑centred design can shape a lower‑carbon energy future for the UK and beyond.”