Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of major events in the history of the United Kingdom
's electricity supply industry
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's electricity supply industry
Electrical power industry
The electric power industry provides the production and delivery of electric energy, often known as power, or electricity, in sufficient quantities to areas that need electricity through a grid connection. The grid distributes electrical energy to customers...
.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1882 | The Electric Lighting Act 1882 (repealed 1989) - allowed the setting up of supply systems by persons, companies or local authorities |
| 1888 | The Electric Lighting Act 1888 (repealed 1989) - amendment to 1882 Act making the setting up of a supply company easier |
| 1891 | London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) opened Deptford Deptford Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are... power station, UK's first AC power system, designed by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti Sebastian Pietro Innocenzo Adhemar Ziani de Ferranti was an electrical engineer and inventor.-Personal life:... . |
| 1899 | The Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 (repealed 1989) |
| 1909 | The Electric Lighting Act 1909 (repealed 1989). Regulated planning consent for building power station Power station A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy.... s. |
| 1919 | Williamson Report leads to The Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 (repealed 1989). Established Electricity Supply Corporation and appointed Electricity Commissioners Electricity Commissioners The Electricity Commissioners were a department of the United Kingdom government's Ministry of Transport, and attempted to regulate the electricity supply industry in its early days.... |
| 1922 | The Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 (repealed 1989) |
| 1926 | Report by Lord Weir leads to The Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (repealed 1989) - created Central Electricity Board Central Electricity Board The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board was set up under The Electricity Act 1926 to standardise the nation's electricity supply. At that time, the industry consisted of more than 600 electricity supply companies and local authority undertakings, and different areas operated at different... and the National Grid operating at 132 kV (50 Hz) |
| 1933 | The 132kV National Grid started operating as interconnected set of regional grids |
| 1936 | The Electricity Supply (Meters) Act 1936 (repealed 1989) |
| 1938 | The 132kV National Grid becomes integrated for the first time |
| 1943 | The Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943 (repealed 1989) |
| 1947 | The Electricity Act 1947 Electricity Act 1947 (UK) The Electricity Act 1947 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that nationalised the numerous municipal and privately owned electricity generation and supply utilities in Great Britain... (repealed 1989). It merged 625 electricity companies to be vested in twelve area electricity boards and the generation and 132kV National Grid were vested with the British Electricity Authority British Electricity Authority The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947... . |
| 1954 | The Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954 (repealed 1989) |
| 1955 | British Electricity Authority becomes the Central Electricity Authority Central Electricity Authority (UK) The Central Electricity Authority was a body that ran the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1954 and 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority as a result of the Electricity Reorganisation Act 1954, which moved responsibility for Scottish electricity... . the Scottish Area Boards are merged into South of Scotland Electricity Board South of Scotland Electricity Board The South of Scotland Electricity Board , was formed as a result of the Electricity Reorganisation Act 1954. On 1 April 1955, the two southern Scottish Area Electricity Boards were merged into the South of Scotland Electricity Board... and the North of Scotland Hydro Board. |
| 1957 | The Electricity Act 1957 Electricity Act 1957 The Electricity Act 1957 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The principal impact of the Act was the dissolution of the Central Electricity Authority , which it replaced with the Central Electricity Generating Board and the Electricity Council.The Electricity Act 1947, which... (repealed 1989). The Central Electricity Authority was dissolved and replaced by Central Electricity Generating Board and the Electricity Council Electricity Council The Electricity Council was a governmental body set up in 1957 to oversee the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. The Council's responsibilities included:... . |
| 1961 | The Electricity (Amendment) Act 1961 (repealed 1989) |
| 1963 | The Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (repealed 1989) |
| 1968 | The Gas and Electricity Act 1968 (repealed 1989) |
| 1972 | The Electricity Act 1972 (repealed 1989) |
| 1979 | The Electricity (Scotland) Act 1979 (repealed 1989) |
| 1989 | The Electricity Act 1989 - plan for privatising the electricity industry |
| 1990 | Beginning of privatisation. The assets of the CEGB are broken up into three new companies: Powergen, National Power National Power - History :National Power was formed following the privatisation of the UK electricity market in 1990. In England and Wales the Central Electricity Generating Board, which was responsible for the generation and transmission of electricity was split into three generating companies Powergen, National... and National Grid Company. Later, the nuclear component within National Power National Power - History :National Power was formed following the privatisation of the UK electricity market in 1990. In England and Wales the Central Electricity Generating Board, which was responsible for the generation and transmission of electricity was split into three generating companies Powergen, National... was removed and vested in another state owned company called Nuclear Electric Nuclear Electric Nuclear Electric was formed as a result of the privatisation of the UK Electricity Supply Industry.When the Central Electricity Generating Board was split up, its power stations were divided between PowerGen and National Power. The nuclear stations, Magnox, AGR and the then under construction... |
| 1991 | Scottish industry privatised |
| 1992 | Electricity supply in Northern Ireland privatised. Premier Power Premier Power Premier Power Limited is an electricity supply company in Northern Ireland.The company was formed in 1992 following the privatization of electricity supply in Northern Ireland. Previously Northern Ireland Electricity was responsible for the running of the country's power stations and transmission... formed. |
| 1993 | Supply industry in Northern Ireland privatised |
| 2000 | Utilities Act 2000 Utilities Act 2000 The Utilities Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that deals with the gas and electrical markets in the UK. It mainly modified the Gas Act 1995 and Electricity Act 1989. One of the greatest changes was that integrated electricity companies were required to have separate... - places responsibilities on generators to allow for connecting distributed energy sources to grid |
| 2001 | The Central Electricity Generating Board (Dissolution) Order 2001. CEGB formally wound up. |
| 2007 | From 1 November Northern Ireland generators must sell their electricity into the Single Electricity Market, an all-island market with the Republic of Ireland from which suppliers purchase electricity at a single market rate. |
See also
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...
- Energy switching services in the UKEnergy switching services in the UKEnergy switching services are a kind of company that has come to exist since the EU began deregulating the gas and electricity markets, to open them to international competition, in 1996. Progress has been uneven across member countries, but in the UK there is now open competition among suppliers...