Centrica has been ranked the top performing UK utility by the Carbon Disclosure Project, an independent not-for-profit organisation holding the largest database of corporate climate change information in the world. The company's score puts it in the top 25 companies in the world for carbon emissions disclosure.

The Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers, is widely respected among investors and rates companies according to the level and quality of their disclosure on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategy. It looks specifically at companies' management of direct and indirect energy use and the enables a comparison of carbon emissions across sectors.

Centrica was also commended as one of the top three utilities in the world by the CDP, with the report stating that it demonstrated ‘an acute awareness of the risks and opportunities presented by climate change'. It went on to say that ‘the business is already well developed to deal with climate change, with structured targets for reducing emissions over time through either internal abatement measures or diversification of energy sources within the portfolio'.

Simon Henderson, Centrica's Director of Corporate Responsibility, said: "These results show that Centrica is not just well placed to prosper in a low carbon economy, but that we are actively working to create that low carbon economy."

The Index showed that Centrica's overall disclosure and transparency score increased from 74 per cent in 2008 to 84 per cent in 2009.

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