Collaborative Working

Working with stakeholders from across the sector we seek to demonstrate how the gas industry will contribute to the creation of a decarbonised energy sector and represent the views of our members in order to inform and influence future energy policy. 

The key organisations we work with are:

Carbon Connect

Carbon Connect is the independent forum that facilitates discussion and debate between independent experts, industry and parliament to bring about a low carbon transformation underpinned by sustainable energy.

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. They collaborate with Government and Parliament - including through our All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) - and across the public, private and third sectors to develop our policy ideas from research, facts, data and consensus. 

IGEM has sponsored research projects from Carbon Connect looking at The Future of Electricity, The Future of Heat and The Future of Gas.  

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) replaced the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in July 2016. BEIS is the government department tasked with ensuring that the UK has a reliable, low cost and clean energy system.  

Energy Innovation Centre

The Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) was launched in 2008 to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of innovation among the transmission and distribution network operators that power our homes and businesses.

EIC support the innovation ambitions of industry partners from gas, electricity and renewables sectors by helping them to discover good technologies that meet their challenges. They help the people behind the bright ideas gain access to the large energy companies to help propel their innovations to the next stage in their development.

EIC are members of IGEM and are a committee member of the Company Member Section.

Energy & Utility Skills

Energy & Utility Skills facilitates and manages the standards-setting process to enable individuals to register with the Gas Safe Register, on behalf of the downstream gas industry.

IGEM works with EU Skills and are members of the Strategic Management Board (SMB), the Standards Consultation Forum (SCF) and the Gas Industry Liaison Group.  

Engineering Council

IGEM is licensed by the Engineering Council to award the professional titles Engineering Technican (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng). For details of how we can help you become a professionally registered engineer visit the membership pages.  

The Engineering Council is the regulatory body for the UK engineering profession. It sets and maintains internationally recognised standards of professional competence and commitment, which are detailed in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

Energy & Utilities Alliance

The Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) is a not-for-profit trade association that provides a leading industry voice to help shape the future policy direction within the energy sector. It comprises eight divisions: Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), The Hot Water Association (HWA), Industrial and Commercial Energy Association (ICOM), Manufacturers’ Association of Radiators and ConvectorsUtility NetworksNatural Gas Vehicles NetworkManufacturers of Equipment for Heat Networks Association and British Energy Efficiency Federation.

IGEM and EUA are partners in the Gas Industry Awards which we jointly run to reward and recognise the best talent within our sector.

Gas Safe Register

Gas Safe Register maintain the register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake both piped natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) work in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey.

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 for a gas engineering business to legally undertake gas work that is within the scope of the Regulations they must be on the Gas Safe Register.

Representatives of Gas Safe Register are members of IGEM technical panels and working groups including our Technical Co-ordination Committee and the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure Working Group. 

Gas Industry Safety Group

The Gas Industry Safety Group (GISG) brings the principal organisations in the UK industry together to promote gas safety.

Our industry has an excellent safety record. However, the rapid transition to a fully open and competitive structure, with many new participants and an ongoing process of further change, presents fresh challenges in order to maintain the highest safety standards.

Formed in 2000, GISG aims to promote gas safety by improving co-operation amongst the industry players, dissemination of best practice and providing a forum for them to address safety issues collectively.

IGEM are board members of GISG.

Health & Safety Executive

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) role in the gas sector is to control major accident hazards and in particular to achieve the following outcomes:

  • Prevent major incidents associated with the loss of containment of gas or volatile fluids

  • Manage the risks associated with ageing infrastructure and the failure of asset integrity

  • Ensure that emerging energy technologies and fuels can be incorporated safely

HSE are members of all IGEM committees and working groups including Technical Co-ordinating Committee, Gas Quality Working Group, Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure and the Hydrogen Working Group.

Ofgem

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), supporting the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, is the government regulator for the electricity and downstream natural gas markets in Great Britain. 

Ofgem work’s to ensure GB’s gas wholesale and retail markets are competitive and regulate the natural monopolies that exist in distribution and transmission networks. Ofgem sets the price controls for the gas transmission companies which own Britain’s national gas pipeline through an approach known as RIIO-T1. They also set the price controls for the gas distribution companies through an approach known as RIIO-GD1 and are currently developing RIIO_GD2.

IGEM works with industry to represent their views to Ofgem on regulatory matters. Ofgem are also represented on all key IGEM technical committees and working groups.