Public electricity supplier

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Public electricity suppliers (PES) were the fourteen electricity companies created in Great Britain when the electricity market in the United Kingdom was privatised following the Electricity Act 1989. The Utilities Act 2000 subsequently split these companies between distribution network operators and separate supply companies.

Contents

In England and Wales the Central Electricity Generating Board had been responsible for the generation and transmission of electricity, with the twelve area electricity boards (AEBs) formed under the Electricity Act 1947 responsible for the distribution and supply of electricity to consumers.

In Scotland the structure was different, with all aspects of generation, transmission, distribution and supply being carried out by two vertically integrated companies.

History

England and Wales

On 31 March 1990 the AEBs were changed into independent regional electricity companies (RECs) and the CEGB was split into four, three generation companies and the National Grid Company, operator of the National Grid. The National Grid Company was placed under the ownership of the RECs. On 11 December 1990 the RECs were privatised.

In 2000, as part of further restructuring under the Utilities Act 2000, the PES were required to have separate licences for their supply business and distribution network, which were renamed distribution network operators (DNOs).

Scotland

The Scottish boards were privatised whole in 1991 with the exception of the nuclear plants, which passed to Scottish Nuclear and were later privatised as part of British Energy.

Companies

Regional electricity companies in England and Wales
REC map.png Key to Diagram
  1. East Midlands Electricity
  2. Eastern Electricity
  3. London Electricity
  4. MANWEB
  5. Midlands Electricity
  6. North Eastern Electricity Board
  7. NORWEB
  8. SEEBOARD
  9. South Wales Electricity
  10. South Western Electricity
  11. Southern Electric
  12. Yorkshire Electricity

East Midlands Electricity

Formerly the East Midlands Electricity Board. Acquired by Powergen in 1998, [1] which was itself taken over by multinational E.ON in 2002. The retail supply business continues to operate as E.ON UK.

After Powergen also acquired MEB in 2004, the two distribution networks were merged under the Central Networks name. [2] The combined network was sold in 2011 and is now part of Western Power Distribution. [3]

Eastern Electricity

Formerly the Eastern Electricity Board. Acquired by Hanson plc in 1995. Demerged from Hanson as part of The Energy Group, which was later sold to the US firm Texas Utilities and became TXU Energi, part of TXU Europe. In 2002 it was sold to Powergen, which was subsequently acquired by the German utility company E.On, and the operations were rebranded in 2004. The distribution business was owned by EDF. Now owned by UK Power Networks along with London Electricity and SEEBOARD.

London Electricity

Formerly the London Electricity Board. Acquired by US-based Entergy in 1996 for £1.3bn ($2.1bn). Acquired by EDF International in 1998, which merged it with SEEBOARD and Eastern Electricity to form EDF Energy. Now owned by UK Power Networks.

Manweb

Formerly the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board. Manweb plc was acquired by Scottish Power in 1995. Scottish Power was in turn acquired by the Spanish energy utility Iberdrola during 2017, [4] although it continues to use Scottish Power branding on domestic sales of gas and electricity. The DNO for the area is SP Manweb plc, [5] a subsidiary of SP Energy Networks. [6]

Midlands Electricity

Formerly the Midlands Electricity Board. Originally acquired in 1996 by a consortium of US companies GPU and Cinergy, after a bid by Powergen was blocked by government. The electricity retail business was sold to National Power in 1999 and continues under the Npower brand. [7] [8]

The distribution business that remained was purchased by Powergen in 2004 [2] and merged with that of East Midlands Electricity to form Central Networks. In 2011 the combined operation was sold and became part of Western Power Distribution. [3]

Northern Electric

Formerly the North Eastern Electricity Board. The electricity distribution business is operated by CE Electric UK, a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. The successor company to the retail supply business is npower UK.

NORWEB

Formerly the North Western Electricity Board. Merged with North West Water in 1995 to form United Utilities, the electricity businesses of which were subsequently sold, with the retail supply arm of Norweb becoming part of TXU Energi (now part of E.On) and the distribution network becoming Electricity North West.

Scottish Hydro-Electric

The North of Scotland Hydro Board became Scottish Hydro-Electric plc before merging with Southern Electric to form Scottish & Southern Energy (later trading simply as 'SSE') in 1998. [9]

During 2020, SSE's retail business was sold to Ovo Energy. [10] The distribution networks in Scotland and the south of England remain part of SSE plc and now trade under the name Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. [11]

Scottish Power

The South of Scotland Electricity Board became Scottish Power plc. [12] In 2007 it was acquired by the Spanish energy utility Iberdrola, [4] although it continues to use Scottish Power branding on domestic sales of gas and electricity. Its DNO subsidiary is SP Distribution plc, [13] under SP Energy Networks. [6]

SEEBOARD

Formerly the South Eastern Electricity Board. Owned by UK Power Networks along with Eastern Electricity and London Electricity. It markets to the public as part of CK Infrastructure Holdings (CKI).

South Wales Electricity

Formerly the South Wales Electricity Board, later known as SWALEC. The business was purchased by Welsh Water in 1996, but the company formed as a result - Hyder plc - soon encountered serious financial difficulties [14] which led to its break-up.

The electricity retail business was initially sold to British Energy in June 1999 [15] and then again in 2000 to Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE plc). During 2020, SSE's retail business was sold to Ovo Energy. [10]

The distribution network was ultimately acquired by Western Power Distribution during September 2000. [16]

South Western Electricity

Formerly the South Western Electricity Board, it was acquired by London Electricity (owned by EDF) in 1999. The distribution business is part of Western Power Distribution and the retail business is part of EDF Energy.

Southern Electric

Formerly the Southern Electricity Board, the company merged with Scottish Hydro-Electric plc to form Scottish & Southern Energy in 1998. [9]

During 2020, SSE's retail business was sold to Ovo Energy. [10] The distribution network remains part of SSE plc and now trades under the name Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. [11]

Yorkshire Electricity

Formerly the Yorkshire Electricity Board. Sold to Innogy (now npower) in 2001, and to the German utility RWE the following year. Now RWE npower, but most domestic marketing is under the npower brand.

See also

Related Research Articles

SWEB Energy, formerly South Western Electricity Board (SWEB) was a British state-owned regional electricity company operating in South West England which was privatised by the Thatcher government. Although sold many times, the 'SWEB' brand name survived until 2006.

The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Power</span> British energy company

Scottish Power is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola.

Norweb, originally the North Western Electricity Board, was a British electricity supply and distribution company. It supplied electricity to about 4.7 million industrial, commercial and domestic customers in the North West of England, although Merseyside and parts of Cheshire were instead covered by Manweb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Power</span>

National Power was an energy company based in the United Kingdom.

SWALEC was an electricity supply and distribution company in South Wales, established in 1989 following the de-regulation of the electricity supply industry in the United Kingdom. The business has seen several changes of ownership from 1996, and the SWALEC brand has been used for retail gas supply as well as electricity. Today Western Power Distribution runs the distribution network business, and SWALEC Contracting is a trading name of OVO Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlands Electricity</span>

The Midlands Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for the purchase of electricity from the electricity generator and its distribution and sale of electricity to customers in the Midlands of England prior to 1990. As Midlands Electricity plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

E.ON UK is a British energy company and the largest supplier of energy and renewable electricity in the UK, following its acquisition of Npower. It is a subsidiary of E.ON of Germany and one of the Big Six energy suppliers. It was founded in 1989 as Powergen, and was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has been a subsidiary of E.ON since 1 July 2002.

Southern Electric plc was a public limited energy company in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1998, when it merged with Scottish Hydro-Electric plc to form Scottish and Southern Energy plc. The company had its origins in the southern England region of the British nationalised electricity industry. Created in 1948 as the Southern Electricity Board, in 1990 it was privatised by being floated on the London Stock Exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Electricity</span>

Yorkshire Electricity was an electricity distribution utility in England, serving much of Yorkshire and parts of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Electricity</span>

Eastern Electricity plc was an electricity supply and distribution utility serving Eastern England, including East Anglia and part of Greater London. It was renamed Eastern Group under which name it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Hanson plc in 1995, before being purchased by Texas Utilities in 1998.

Seeboard, formerly South Eastern Electricity Board (SEEB), was a British electricity company. The electrical power industry in the United Kingdom was nationalised by the Electricity Act 1947, when over 600 electric power companies were merged into 12 area boards, one of which was the South Eastern Electricity Board. It acquired the former Princes Hotel on the seafront in Hove, East Sussex, and converted it into its headquarters. The building was refurbished and substantially extended between 1979 and 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Npower (United Kingdom)</span> UK-based electricity generator and supplier of gas and electricity

Npower Limited is a British supplier of gas and electricity to businesses. It has been a subsidiary of E.ON UK since January 2019. The company was formerly known as Innogy plc and was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

SP Manweb is the regional electricity distribution network operator (DNO) for Merseyside, North Wales and parts of Cheshire. It is now part of SP Energy Networks, itself a subsidiary of the Spanish energy company Iberdrola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Hydro Electric</span>

Scottish Hydro plc was a public electricity supplier formed on 1 August 1989 after a change of name from North of Scotland Electricity plc on that date. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with Southern Electric in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SSE plc</span> British energy company

SSE plc is a multinational energy company headquartered in Perth, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. SSE operates in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

OVO Energy Energy supply company based in Bristol, United Kingdom

OVO Energy is a major energy supplier based in Bristol, England.

The Big Six were the United Kingdom's largest retail suppliers of gas and electricity, who dominated the market following liberalisation in the late 1990s. By 2002, six companies – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, RWE npower, Scottish Power and SSE – had emerged from the 15 former incumbent monopoly suppliers.

References

  1. ↑ "PowerGen buys East Midlands". BBC News. 29 June 1998. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Powergen merges Midlands firms". BBC News. 16 January 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 "PPL buys Eon's UK electricity network for $5.6bn". Financial Times. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Iberdrola completes Scottish Power takeover". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "SP Manweb plc". Companies House. Retrieved 5 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. 1 2 "About Us". SPEnergyNetworks. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Midlands deal prompts bid speculation". The Independent. 7 July 1999. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Powergen doubles its size". BBC News. 21 October 2003. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Our Heritage". SSE plc. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "Sale of SSE Energy Services to Ovo Energy". Financial Times. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Who we are and what we do". Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "South of Scotland Electricity Board". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "SP Distribution plc". Companies House. Retrieved 5 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ "Break-up looms as Hyder is swamped by a sea of debt". The Independent. 10 December 1999. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "British Energy buys Swalec for £105m". The Independent. 24 June 1999. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "US company takes over Hyder". BBC News. 6 September 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
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