Re Directorate

National Grid Group PLC
11 December 2000



For Immediate Release                               11 December 2000


              Chief Executive Succession at National Grid Group


The Board of National Grid Group plc ('National Grid') today announces that it
is the intention of David Jones, Group Chief Executive, to retire as of the
end of the current financial year on 31 March, 2001. Roger Urwin, Group
Director UK and Europe, National Grid, will succeed David as Group Chief
Executive as from 1 April 2001.

David Jones, 58, has been Group Chief Executive of National Grid since 1994.
He has led the Group in its successful expansion strategy both into
electricity transmission and distribution abroad and into telecommunications
in the UK and internationally.

Roger Urwin, 54, has been a director of National Grid since 1995, having
previously been Chief Executive of London Electricity. He is currently
responsible for National Grid's UK transmission business as Chief Executive of
National Grid Company, and has been intimately involved in the development of
National Grid's international expansion strategy.

James Ross, Chairman of National Grid, said:

'David Jones is an outstanding Chief Executive, who has led National Grid into
becoming a quoted public company and then through one of the most successful
transformation programmes any business has achieved. National Grid has grown
from a UK transmission company to a broadly based international Group with
substantial interests in electricity distribution as well as transmission,
especially in the Northeast US, and a portfolio of telecommunications
businesses, in the UK through Energis, the US, Central Europe and Latin
America.

'Roger Urwin has been a key member of the strong management team that David
has built, which will make the succession a smooth one. Roger has played a
major role as part of the team in delivering National Grid's international
strategy, in particular the expansion into the US. At the same time he has led
our core UK business and built its world-class reputation as a leader in
privatised, independent transmission. Roger has consistently improved the
operating performance and cost-efficiency of National Grid's UK business, and
steered us through the recent regulatory price review.

'We shall be sad to see David go, and we wish him enormously well in his
retirement. We know, however, that with Roger as his successor, National Grid
will continue to be in experienced and energetic hands, and the Group's
momentum will continue'

David Jones said:

'I have always felt that seven years is about the right length of time to be
Chief Executive of a Group. It has been a privilege to be Chief Executive of
National Grid and work with a first class team. Much of what we set out to
achieve when I became Chief Executive has been accomplished, and National Grid
now has a much wider and deeper base, with consequently greatly enlarged
opportunities to pursue. I shall be retiring at a point when our growth
strategy is well established, and the strength and continuity of our
management is assured under Roger's expert leadership.'



Enquiries

National Grid Group                       Citigate Dewe     Tel: [phone]
Media                                     Rogerson  
           
Susan Stevens            020 7312 5740    Anthony Carlisle  (0973 611888)

                         (07769 671560)   Sue Pemberton    020 7282 2842
                            
Sam Cohen                020 7312 5757

                         (07733 300054)

Investors                020 7312 5781

Jill Sherratt            (07768 490807)



Photographs for media are available at www.newscast.co.uk

Notes to Editors

1.     David Jones

David Jones has been Group Chief Executive of National Grid since April 1994.
He is a Non Executive Director of Energis and of Bull Worldwide Information
Systems.

He was previously Group Chief Executive of South Wales Electricity (SWALEC)
and Chairman of the joint venture company, Teesside Power Limited which
operates a 1725MW gas-fired combined cycle power station at Wilton on
Teesside.

Prior to joining SWALEC in 1988, David Jones was Engineering Director for the
South Western Board, where he had special responsibilities for co-ordinating
the privatisation of that Board.

Before his appointment as Engineering Director, South Western Board, he held a
number of senior engineering, commercial and management posts with both the
South Western and Midlands Electricity Boards.

David Jones is a Chartered Engineer and was educated at the University of
Aston, Birmingham where he obtained his BSc and MSc degrees in Engineering. He
is married and has a son and daughter.



 2. Roger Urwin

    Roger Urwin joined National Grid in 1995 as Chief Executive of National
    Grid Company. In 1999, he took on the additional role of Group Director
    Europe for National Grid Group.

    Previously he was Chief Executive of London Electricity Director. Prior to
    joining London Electricity he was Executive Director (Operations) at the
    then Midlands Electricity Board. During his time at Midlands, Roger also
    played a major role in preparing the UK electricity industry for
    privatisation

    Roger Urwin obtained a PhD at Southampton University.

    He is a chartered engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
    and a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He is a
    non-executive director of Foreign & Colonial Special Utilities Investment
    Trust plc and TotalFinaElf Exploration UK plc.

    He is married and has two sons and two daughters.


 3. National Grid

National Grid's strategy has transformed the business from a regulated UK
electricity utility into an international group with substantial interests in
electricity transmission and distribution and telecommunications.

The market capitalisation of National Grid has grown from £3.5 billion to over
£9 billion since its listing on 11 December 1995. Its remaining holding in
Energis is worth over £3 billion.



Electricity

National Grid Company, the Group's principal UK subsidiary, is responsible for
operating and maintaining the 4,500 mile high-voltage transmission network in
England and Wales, balancing the nation's demands for electricity demand with
generation, second by second. It also operates interconnectors with Scotland,
France and the Isle of Man.

In the Northeast US, National Grid has around 25,000 miles of electricity
distribution network with some 1.7 million customers. This follows National
Grid's acquisitions of NEES and EUA, which were completed in March and April
respectively this year.

In September this year, National Grid announced the acquisition of Niagara
Mohawk, an electricity and gas distribution business in up-state New York.
Upon completion of this deal, expected by around the end of 2001, National
Grid will be a top 10 US electricity business, and over half of the Group's
operating profit will come from the US.

National Grid operates Argentina's main transmission network through its joint
venture, Transener. It has another joint venture operating the transmission
network supplying the Zambian copperbelt. And it is developing 220 mile
Basslink interconnector between Tasmania and the Australian electricity
system.


Telecommunications

In 1992, National Grid founded Energis. The company was floated in December
1997 and has grown to be Britain's leading alternative business telecoms
operator with an extensive European platform, especially in Germany and
Holland. National Grid owns 34.6% of Energis.

In Poland, National Grid has a joint venture with Energis, each owning 23.75%
of NGKT, to construct and operate a national telecoms network.

In the US, NEESCom is a natural extension of National Grid's electricity
business, leasing unlit telecoms fibre strung on the company's transmission
and distribution network.

In Latin America, National Grid has joint ventures in Argentina, Chile and
Brazil. It owns 50% of Silica Networks, which is developing a backbone
telecoms network crossing Argentina and Chile. It owns 30% of Manquehuenet, a
competitive local exchange carrier in Santiago. And it owns 50% of Intelig,
Brazil's second national and international telecoms provider.