Technology Transformation
National Gas partnered with EY to deliver one of the most complex IT separations ever undertaken in the UK energy sector, and create an independent, future-ready IT organisation – all whilst ensuring the continued flow of gas. The transformation journey looks set to serve as an industry benchmark for years to come.
In January 2023, National Gas embarked on one of the most complex IT separations ever undertaken in the UK energy sector. With its systems deeply integrated into National Grid’s technology estate, the challenge was not just to separate from National Grid – it was to create an independent, future-ready IT organisation without disrupting the transmission of gas across the UK network that powers our industries and heats homes.
National Gas partnered with the EY team to lead this transformation. Challenges included dealing with complex legacy technologies and a heavily integrated landscape, where much of the estate was legacy (including tech from the 1980s) and heavily customised. National Gas also lacked a standalone IT function, requiring the rapid mobilisation of expertise and resources (the technology team grew from 84 to 400 in just two years). This is not to mention safeguarding energy supplies during a period of geopolitical uncertainty, as the network transports gas to power 30% of the country’s electricity generation, 30,000 heavy industry businesses and provides heat for 28 million homes.
To tackle this complexity, we focused around three key objectives:
- Run a world-class programme: bring structure, control and governance that ensured delivery certainty but didn’t hinder agility.
- Safeguard operations: to keep the gas flowing and minimise disruption to critical parts of the UK energy system.
- Deliver technologies: to enable a net-zero future, modernising the IT infrastructure and business applications to support long-term resilience, scalability and efficiency – positioning National Gas as a digitally-enabled business.
We executed a structured separation strategy across Infrastructure and Networks, End User Computing, Applications, Cybersecurity and non-IT functions. The programme included the migration of 297 applications, the deployment of a new IT organisation and tooling, and the transition of enterprise and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) networks. The CNI component covered 66 critical operational gas sites, a new physical and cyber security operations centre, and the seamless transfer of over 1 petabyte of business-critical data.
We also worked hard to nurture the right culture based around collaboration and a ‘One team’ approach – building a high-performing programme team with National Gas using employees, contractors and third-party vendors, and a world-class team to ensure the right skills were brought together to amplify the strengths of both organisations.
Working with National Gas, the EY team drove innovation and transformation with a cloud-first approach, adopting cutting-edge technology (including Google Cloud, ServiceNow and Maximo enterprise solutions). In parallel, a Secure-By-Design framework was established with a new Splunk Security Information and Event Management solution for CNI technologies, and alignment with the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) to safeguard critical gas infrastructure.
National Gas is now operating with a fully independent, resilient and scalable IT ecosystem, positioning it for long-term success in an evolving energy landscape. The programme was not only delivered on time and within budget, but it stands out as a blueprint for high-impact IT transformations. National Gas’ journey will serve as an industry benchmark for years to come.
View the EY profile in the MCA Members Directory.