North West Electricity Networks

Electricity North West (ENW) invests in, operates and maintains the electricity distribution network which carries electricity from the national grid to homes and businesses across the north west of England.

ENW is one of 14 distribution network operators in Great Britain operating its distribution network under an exclusive perpetual licence. It is regulated by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). Its head office is located in Manchester and it directly employs over 2,000 staff across its area.

ENW is responsible for maintaining and upgrading 13,000 km of overhead power lines and more than 44,000 km of underground electricity cables. Its distribution area covers the diverse communities between the Lake District and the city of Manchester and all the towns and villages in-between. ENW provides 9% of Great Britain’s electricity distribution, which equates to approximately 5 million customers across 2.4 million premises.

ENW’s distribution network is a natural monopoly and it is therefore regulated by Ofgem under a revenue cap price control framework. ENW’s network is one of the most reliable in the UK and it is investing £1.9 billion during its current eight year price control period to 2023 to ensure it continues to deliver an excellent, safe and affordable service to all its customers.

Network Plus Services (formerly T&K Gallagher) and O’Connor Utilities are the framework subcontractors for ENW, operating under a £400 million contract over the eight years to 2028.

ENW is 40% owned by funds managed by Equitix with the remaining 60% owned by international investors including Kansai Electric Power.