National Grid Named Global Top 10 Leader and Platinum Company by Key U.K. Corporate Responsibility Index.

Ranking Based on Actions in the U.S. and the U.K. to Address Climate Change

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. -- National Grid's unwavering commitment to address climate change in the U.S. and in the U.K. has earned the company a platinum company rating and a listing as a Top Ten Global Leader in the U.K. Business in the Community's Corporate Responsibility Index.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the company has received a top tier ranking, which complements National Grid's Dow Jones Sustainability World Index ranking as the most sustainable multi-utility in the world, and the U.S. Department of Energy's recent Top Ten ranking of the company's renewable energy program, Green-Up.

Business in the Community's Corporate Responsibility Index focuses on corporate responsibility risks and opportunities. Companies from the FTSE 100, FTSE250, Dow Jones Sustainability Index Sector leaders and larger Business in the Community Members are invited to participate. Each company is benchmarked against its peers and all Index participants.

"We are honored to be recognized by BITC for our efforts to address global climate change," said Cheryl LaFleur, acting CEO of National Grid's U.S. electricity distribution business. "Unless we take action now, climate change will have serious repercussions for our region and beyond, and we take very seriously our responsibility to lead by example on this issue."

Since 1987, National Grid's award-winning U.S. energy efficiency programs have reduced customer consumption of electricity by 2.1 billion megawatt hours, which equates to 2.6 million megawatt hours annually.

GreenUp is a collaborative effort among National Grid in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, renewable energy firms, state government agencies and environmental groups. Under the program, an eligible National Grid customer can select a renewable energy product from one of several participating renewable energy suppliers. To date, more than 20,000 National Grid customers have signed up in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

National Grid has already met the Kyoto Agreement 2012 target of 12.5 percent emissions reduction for the UK, and 8 percent reduction for the U.S., and is on target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and offices across the company by 60 percent well before 2050. These achievements reflect the effectiveness of National Grid's 'Framework for Responsible Business' developed five years ago with the active involvement of its employees.

The 'Framework for Responsible Business' defines National Grid's business principles and commitment to minimize our emissions. For 2005/06:

* Total greenhouse gas emissions from company operations, processes and offices were down 26 per cent from an independently verified baseline, including:

    -- Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) emissions from high-voltage
       electricity equipment down 34 per cent from the baseline year
       of 2000

    -- Methane emissions down 32 percent from the baseline year of
       1991

National Grid is an international energy delivery business, whose principal activities are in the regulated electricity and gas industries. In the US, National Grid distributes electricity to approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island and natural gas to approximately 569,000 customers in New York and 245,000 customers in Rhode Island.

It owns the high-voltage electricity transmission system in England and Wales and operates the system across Great Britain. It also owns and operates the high pressure gas transmission system in Britain and its distribution business delivers gas to 11 million homes and businesses in Britain. National Grid also has a number of businesses operating in related areas such as LNG importation, land remediation, metering and interconnectors. For more information, visit National Grid's web site at www.nationalgrid.com.