Introduction
Gas Networks Ireland continue to focus on the wellbeing of our people, our communities, and our customers. Our employees are the driving force, the creative intelligence, and the passionate energy behind our achievements and business success. During 2024, we successfully underwent an accreditation audit by Ibec for the “Keep Well Mark” workplace wellbeing award.
We remain committed to building a society that embraces diversity, where everyone is treated fairly, and where everyone has a real sense of belonging. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion “iBelong” programme focuses on improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), engagement and education initiatives.
Health and safety
Gas Networks Ireland is committed to the highest possible safety standards and during 2024, we continued to manage all aspects of our operations in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. We put safety at the heart of everything we do. It is our goal that our activities and assets shall not cause harm to anyone.
In 2024, we continued our track record of excellent safety performance. Our combined Lost Time Incident Frequency Rate for employee and key service providers of 0.24 is a proud reflection of our dedication and vigilance to our safety-first culture.
Customers and end users
Natural gas plays a critical role in providing a cleaner, competitive, and secure energy supply for Ireland. Our challenge is to drive the evolution of Ireland’s energy system and respond to the challenge of climate change while providing a safe and secure energy supply for our customers.
Affordability and accessibility
Customers’ needs, wants, and perceptions change as the context around them and the world shifts. In this changing environment, we continue to listen to our customers. We consider customer understanding to be a guiding focus whether related to a specific interaction or a project or as part of broad scale strategy.
Putting our customers first
We’re committed to putting our customers first. Customers’ concerns shape their priorities, and set their expectations of the service we need to deliver. Their perception of how we’re doing, is often coloured by how we hit, or miss the mark, when supporting them with their challenges. Across 2024 our customers repeatedly told us in their feedback, that as an organisation we’re doing a really great job delivering for them, giving us an impressive ‘Overall Satisfaction’ score of 94%.
Supporting our customers
We support the CRU initiative to implement a general moratorium on debt-related gas meter locks and disconnections for vulnerable customers during the winter months and for all customers over the Christmas and New year period (managed by gas suppliers and facilitated by Gas Networks Ireland). This ensuring customers have access to the gas they need to help heat their homes and cook food.
Community impact
Acting responsibly and building strong relationships in the communities where we operate is fundamental to carrying out our business effectively.
We at Gas Networks Ireland play a pivotal role in the energy sector by providing safe, reliable, and efficient gas transportation services throughout the country. As part of our core operations, we aim to the communities we serve.
By undertaking social responsibility activities which positively impact communities, Gas Networks Ireland demonstrates our commitment to promoting the importance of social inclusion, diversity and equity, education, accessibility, and environmental awareness with our stakeholders, our colleagues and the communities where we work.
Landowner and community engagement
Gas Networks Ireland places significant importance on engaging with landowners and community members when planning and undertaking works. Gas Networks Ireland has a dedicated Land Management team we also have a number of internal and external Agricultural Liaison Officers (ALOs) who form the cornerstone of this engagement, ensuring clear and consistent communication with all stakeholders. Before commencing any projects, we actively reach out to local towns, community groups, farmers, and landowners to inform them of the upcoming works and address any concerns they might have. By collaborating closely with these groups, we foster trust and transparency, exemplified by our approach in projects. This proactive communication strategy helps mitigate potential disruptions and ensures that our operations are in harmony with community expectations and needs.
Corporate social responsibility
In 2024 we supported 90 community initiatives, provided €219,595 of support to local communities, and delivered 799 volunteering hours.