British Power & Light Corporation Limited

British Power & Light Corporation Limited
Type	Public Company
Industry	Electricity supply
Founded	7 May 1929
Defunct	31 March 1948
Fate	Nationalisation
Successor	British Electricity Authority
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	North Wales; East Suffolk; South Somerset; Trent Valley and High Peak; West Hampshire; and Ringwood
Key people	See text
Services	Electricity supply
Revenue	See tables

Last updated December 19, 2023

The British Power and Light Corporation Limited, also known as the British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited was registered in 1929 to acquire a controlling interest in electricity undertakings in North Wales; East Suffolk; South Somerset; Trent Valley and High Peak; West Hampshire; and Ringwood, Hampshire. The corporation operated for 19 years and was abolished upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Background

The British Power & Light Corporation Limited was registered on 7 May 1929 as a holding company by a group of British merchant bankers to assume control of, and develop, a number of electricity undertakings in England and Wales.^[1]

The inaugural board of directors were:^[2]

Henry Augustus Vernet
Edward de Stein
Constatine Evelyn Benson
Gerald William Partridge
George Victor Twiss (managing director)

The company's registered office was 27 Old Broad Street, London EC2.^[2]

After establishment the British Power and Light Corporation acquired a controlling interest in two companies:^[2]

The North Wales Power Company Limited
Electricity Distribution of North Wales and District Limited

In addition, it acquired the whole of the share capital of five electricity undertakings:^[2]

East Suffolk Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (Orford undertaking)
South Somerset and District Electricity Co. Ltd.
Trent Valley and High Peak Electricity Co. Ltd. (Chapel-en-le-Frith and Rugeley undertakings)
West Hampshire Electricity Co. Ltd.
Ringwood Electric Supply Co. Ltd.

The British Power & Light Corporation was one of a number of electricity holding companies that had a wide and disparate geographical range of interests. Other such companies included: Christy Bros. and Company Limited; Edmundsons Electricity Corporation Limited ; Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited; Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited.^[3]

North Wales Companies

The North Wales Power Company had increased its sales and revenue during the 1920s:^[2]

Year	Electricity sold, Gwh	Revenue£,
1921	7	29,263
1922	8	34,726
1923	12	59,247
1924	14	71,771
1925	19	87,787
1926	30	145,801
1927	38	168,770
1928	42	180,416

However, the company's profits had not been commensurate with its capital because of a shortage of generating plant (only 5.5 MW). This meant that electricity had to be purchased.^[2]

The North Wales Power Company owned three hydro-electric power stations:^[4]

Cwm Dyli, commissioned in 1906, output 5 MW,
Dolgarrog, No.1 station commissioned in 1909 and No.2 station in 1925, total output 17.6 MW,
Maentwrog, commissioned in 1928, output 24 MW.

To raise capital from its inception the British Power & Light Corporation offered 1,600,000 shares of £1 each on the Stock Exchange in May 1929.^[2]

The gross revenue of the North Wales company from the sale of electricity rose steadily during the 1930s, as shown:^[5]

North Wales company electricity sales and revenue 1932-37
Year	Sales to consumers		Sales to CEB (note)		Sales to Distribution Co
Year	Electricity, MWh	Revenue	Electricity, MWh	Revenue	Electricity, MWh	Revenue
1932	65,486	£247,717	Nil	Nil	10,219	£154,186
1933	73,563	£274,171	Nil	Nil	14,017	£190,284
1934	85,462	£304,372	29,501	£92,083	17,155	£227,371
1935	97,765	£336,072	47,765	£119,126	21,782	£276,199
1936	107,550	£365,302	41,852	£118,648	26,523	£336,946
1937	118,467	£397,245	39,770	£121,137	33,475	£393,521

Note: The Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926 to construct the national grid and to control and purchase electricity from selected power stations.^[6]

Operations 1937

A summary and breakdown of the operating and financial data in 1937 for the constituent companies is shown on the table.^[7]

British Power & Light Corporation constituent company operations 1937
	North Wales	North Wales Distribution	East Suffolk	South Somerset	Trent Valley & High Peak	West Hampshire	Ringwood
Generating Capacity, MW	52.2	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	0.145
Electricity Generated, MWh	36,789	0	0	0	0	0	356.1
Electricity Purchased, MWh	108,376	19,248	2,422	5,085	5,699	5,134	1,042
Electricity Sold, MWh	127,844	16,796	2,153	4,504	5,243	4,415	1,277
Electricity Sold£,	408,853	195,441	24,693	40,930	40,056	49,026	11,703
No. of Consumers	3,435	39,741	3,601	4,911	5,957	7,071	1,552
Connections on system, kW	73,724	50,104	4,871	8,114	10,923	7,633	1,923
Gross surplus£,	261,388	70,869	14,890	18,987	21,818	25,866	5,507

To raise further capital, in December 1938 the British Power & Light Corporation offered £4 million of shares on the Stock Exchange.^[5]

The board of directors in 1938 were:^[5]

Edward de Stein
Constatine Evelyn Benson (chairman)
Gerald William Partridge
Reginald Francis Legge
Robert Stuart Hilton
George Wansbrough

The registered office was Artillery House, Artillery Row, Westminster, London SW1.^[5]

Operations 1947

In its last full year of operation (1947) a summary and breakdown of the operating and financial data for the constituent companies is shown on the table.^[8]

British Power & Light Corporation constituent company operations 1947
	North Wales	North Wales Distribution	East Suffolk	South Somerset	Trent Valley & High Peak	West Hampshire	Ringwood
Electricity Generated, MWh	51,875	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	166
Electricity Purchased, MWh	309,048	57,240	11,880	18,378	19,758	219,240	7,633
Electricity Sold, MWh	336,601	49,871	9,596	16058	17,992	201,800	7,599
Electricity Sold£,	1,201,026	458,519	68,602	123,824	119,058	915,044	41,227
Gross surplus£,	368,209	181,863	19,061	38,941	43,972	168,134	8,435

Abolition

The British Power & Light Corporation Limited and all its constituent Companies were abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British Electricity Industry was nationalised.^[6] The generating plant and transmission systems devolved to the British Electricity Authority and the distribution systems to the appropriate geographical Electricity Board, for example the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board, the Southern Electricity Board, the Eastern Electricity Board. ^[4]

Related Research Articles

The Lancashire Electric Power Company was one of the largest private electricity companies in the UK. It was established in 1900 and generated and supplied electricity to 1,200 squares miles of Lancashire from 1905 until its abolition under nationalisation in 1948.

The London Power Company was an electricity generating and bulk supply company in London, England, formed in 1925 by the merger of ten small electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the company was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority.

The Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was incorporated as a public company in 1889 to generate and supply electricity to parts of the City of Westminster, Holborn and later the City of London. From 1925 it worked jointly with other companies as part of the London Power Company. The company was abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British electricity industry was nationalised, and its assets were transferred to the British Electricity Authority and the London Electricity Board. The Charing Cross Corporation's Bow power station continued in operation until 1969.

The Norwich power stations were a sequence of electricity generating stations that provided electric power to the City of Norwich and the wider area between 1893 and 1986. The first station in Duke Street began operating in 1893, a new power station at Thorpe was in service from 1926 to 1967, this was supplemented with a 'high pressure' station, 1937–1975, and finally a gas turbine station operated from 1964–1986.

Dolgarrog Power Station in Dolgarrog, Wales was originally built in 1907 as part of an aluminium smelting plant. It uses water turbines to drive electricity alternators. Public supplies began in 1922 when power lines were constructed to transmit electricity from the power station to Colwyn Bay, Conwy and Llandudno. The station was vested in the British Electricity Authority and its successors following nationalisation in 1948. It is currently (2021) operated by RWE NPower UK.

Aberystwyth power station supplied electricity to the town of Aberystwyth from 1895 to the 1970s. The oil-engine station was operated by a succession of private and public owners including Aberystwyth Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948. The power station, with an ultimate capacity of 5 MW, was redeveloped as demand for electricity grew and old plant was replaced.

Lymington power station supplied electricity to the town of Lymington, Hampshire and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1959. The electricity generating station was owned and operated by a succession of electricity companies prior to nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The station was initially coal-fired but later oil engines were installed. Lymington power station was closed on 31 March 1959.

The Wessex Electricity Company was an electricity generating and supply organisation that operated in south and south-west England from its establishment in 1927 until it was dissolved as a consequence of the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

The Urban Electric Supply Company Limited (UESCo) was a British electricity industry holding company that operated from 1898 until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. It controlled directly, or indirectly through its subsidiaries, electricity undertakings throughout Britain.

Llanelly power station, also known as North Dock power station, supplied electricity to the town of Llanelly and the surrounding area from 1910 to the late 1960s. The power station was owned and operated by a succession of companies, including the Llanelly and District Electric Supply Company Limited, prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped in the 1920s to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Nelson power station supplied electricity to the town of Nelson, Lancashire and the surrounding area from 1892 to 1960. The power station was owned and operated by Nelson Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped in 1922 to 1925 to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Stockport power station supplied electricity to the town of Stockport, Cheshire and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1976. The power station was owned and operated by Stockport Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Warrington power station supplied electricity to the town of Warrington, Lancashire and the surrounding area from about 1900 to 1979. The power station was initially developed by the Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited, this was taken over by Warrington Corporation, which operated the power station prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Newbury power station supplied electricity to the town of Newbury, Berkshire and the surrounding area from 1905 to 1970. It was owned and operated by a succession of public and private organisations. It comprised, at various times, hydro-electric, gas engine and diesel engine powered plant with a maximum output capacity of 2.57 MW.

The Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company was an electricity generating and supply organisation that operated in the West Midlands and South Wales. It was established in 1903 and was dissolved as a consequence of the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Ramsgate power station supplied electricity to the town of Ramsgate, Kent, England and the surrounding area from 1905 to 1958. The station was operated by the Ramsgate and District Electric Supply Company Limited until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The coal-fired power station had a maximum electricity generating capacity of 2 MW.

Folkestone power station supplied electricity to the Borough of Folkestone and the surrounding area from 1898 to 1960. The power station was built by the Folkestone Electricity Supply Company Limited which operated it until the nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948. It was redeveloped in the 1920s to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Southport power station supplied electricity to the town of Southport and the surrounding area from 1894 to the late 1960s. The power station was built by the Southport Corporation which operated it up to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. Birkdale power station was operated by the Birkdale District Electric Supply Company Limited and originally supplied Birkdale Urban District until the district was incorporated into the Borough of Southport in 1911.

The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority supplied electricity to an extensive area of North Wales and parts of Cheshire and Shropshire. As constituted in 1923 the Joint Authority transferred all its rights to distribution of electricity in the area to the North Wales Power Company. The authority was effectively the power company. Both the joint authority and the power company were abolished in 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.

References

↑ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 228, 341. ISBN 0333220862.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited". The Times. 13 May 1929. p. 26.
↑ "Electricity Act 1947". The Times. 10 March 1948. p. 23.
1 2 Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol 48 1950-51. London: Electrical Press Limited. 1952. pp. A-47, A-50, A-79.
1 2 3 4 "British Power & Light Corporation Limited". The Times. 1 December 1938. p. 20.
1 2 Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60. ISBN 085188105X.
↑ Electricity Commission (1939). Electricity Supply 1937-38. London: HMSO.
↑ Ministry of Fuel and Power (1949). Electricity Supply 1946-7. London: HMSO.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 228, 341. ISBN 0333220862.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited". The Times. 13 May 1929. p. 26.

[3] "Electricity Act 1947". The Times. 10 March 1948. p. 23.

[:1-4] 1 2 Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol 48 1950-51. London: Electrical Press Limited. 1952. pp. A-47, A-50, A-79.

[:2-5] 1 2 3 4 "British Power & Light Corporation Limited". The Times. 1 December 1938. p. 20.

[:3-6] 1 2 Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60. ISBN 085188105X.

[7] Electricity Commission (1939). Electricity Supply 1937-38. London: HMSO.

[8] Ministry of Fuel and Power (1949). Electricity Supply 1946-7. London: HMSO.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]