International energy delivery company National Grid has published its first U.S. corporate social responsibility report, based on the three themes of climate change, safety and reliability. The report also lays out the company’s commitment to the communities it serves and its investment in a skilled workforce for the future.

The report summarizes the company’s U.S. sustainable activities in 2007, and highlights how National Grid has managed its environmental, economic and social impacts, as well as its strategy moving forward. This is the first time that the company has produced such a report aimed specifically at its American stakeholders and markets.

Tom King, National Grid executive director of Electricity Distribution and Generation said, “This report is more than just about climate change. We want to be completely open about how we aim to operate responsibly in everything we do, and this report gives our publics in the U.S. a great view of that. We can and are looking to have a positive impact on the communities we serve and act responsibly as a company. This document, which has the three themes of safety, reliability and climate change at its core, gives us a fantastic reference point to move forward in those areas.”

Highlights of the report include:

• A goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050, as part of the company’s global climate change initiative
• Moving to 100 percent renewable energy for internal use by 2010
• Ten percent increase in the number of certain field workers in upstate New York
• The 20-year anniversary of National Grid’s energy efficiency programs, saving more than $2.5 billion and 26 billion kilowatt hours
• Safety continuing to be a main priority with 40,000 safety observation tours undertaken and a 50% increase in reporting ‘near miss’ incidents in 2007
• Improving levels of system reliability by investing over $3 billion in upstate New York’s electricity networks over the next 5 years
• Employees and retirees raising over a million dollars for the United Way, resulting in a donation of $2.1 million after company matched giving.

The report is compiled and presented based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (G3) as well as the Electric Utility Supplement. These provide a voluntary reporting framework used around the world as the basis for sustainability reporting. The GRI is the generally accepted format and framework for measuring, disclosing, and being held accountable to internal and external stakeholders for organizational performance against sustainable development.