The following is a list of major events in the history of the United Kingdom's electricity supply industry.
| 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| 1882 | The Electric Lighting Act 1882 (repealed 1989) — allowed the setting up of supply systems by persons, companies or local authorities |
| 1888 | The Electric Lighting Act 1888 (repealed 1989) — amendment to 1882 Act making the setting up of a supply company easier.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 Power Station, UK's first AC power system, designed by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti. |
| 1899 | The Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 (repealed 1989) |
| 1901 | Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company (NESCo) opened Neptune Bank Power Station, the first in the UK to supply three-phase electric power. |
| 1909 | The Electric Lighting Act 1909 (repealed 1989). Regulated planning consent for building power stations. |
| 1919 | Williamson Report and Birchenough Report leads to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919[1](repealed 1989). Established Electricity Commission[citation needed] and appointed Electricity Commissioners |
| 1922 | The Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 (repealed 1989) |
| 1926 | Weir Report leads to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (repealed 1989) — created Central Electricity Board and the National Grid operating at 132 kV (50 Hz) |
| 1933 | The 132 kV National Grid started operating as interconnected set of regional grids. |
| 1936 | The Electricity Supply (Meters) Act 1936 (repealed 1989) |
| 1938 | The 132 kV National Grid became integrated. |
| 1943 | The Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943 (repealed 1989) |
| 1947 | The Electricity Act 1947 (repealed 1989). It merged 625 electricity companies to be vested in twelve area electricity boards and the generation and 132 kV National Grid were vested with the British Electricity Authority. |
| 1954 | The Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954 (repealed 1989) |
| 1955 | British Electricity Authority becomes the Central Electricity Authority. The Scottish area boards are merged into South of Scotland Electricity Board and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. |
| 1957 | The Electricity Act 1957 (repealed 1989). The Central Electricity Authority was dissolved and replaced by Central Electricity Generating Board and the Electricity Council. |
| 1958 | The new chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside begins the procurement of the new 2000 MW power stations and 400kV grid system |
| 1961 | The Electricity (Amendment) Act 1961 (repealed 1989) |
| 1963 | The Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (repealed 1989) |
| 1965 | Introduction of the first phase of the 400kV Supergrid from West Burton power stations, Nottinghamshire to Sundon in Bedfordshire |
| 1968 | The Gas and Electricity Act 1968 (repealed 1989) |
| 1969 | The first of the new 2000 MW Generating Units are officially opened by the Ministry of Power (United Kingdom) Roy Mason at West Burton power stations |
| 1972 | The Electricity Act 1972 (repealed 1989) |
| 1978 | Economy 7 introduced. |
| 1979 | The Electricity (Scotland) Act 1979 (repealed 1989) |
| 1989 | The Electricity Act 1989 provides for the privatisation of the electricity industry in Great Britain |
| 1990 | Beginning of the privatization of the Central Electricity Generating Board. The assets of the CEGB are broken up into three new companies: Powergen, National Power and National Grid Company. Later, the nuclear component within National Power was removed and vested in another state-owned company called Nuclear Electric |
| 1991 | Scottish industry privatised |
| 1992 | Electricity supply in Northern Ireland privatised. Premier Power formed. |
| 1993 | Supply industry in Northern Ireland privatised. |
| 2000 | The Utilities Act 2000 placed responsibility on generators to allow for connecting distributed energy sources to grid.[clarification needed] |
| 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[edit]
- Energy policy of the United Kingdom
- Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
- Energy switching services in the UK
References[edit]
- ^ Page 41 "Electricity Supply in the UK: A chronology"The Electricity Council, 1987, ISBN 0-85188-105-X
- Duncan, Ben (1996). "Public Service Obligations in a Competitive Electricity Market" (Microsoft Word document).
- Eyles, William E. "Electricity in Bath 1890 – 1974". South Western Electricity Historical Society. — explains the 1882 Act[dead link]
- Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity Before Nationalisation, A Study in the Development of the Electricity Supply Industry in Britain to 1948. London & Basingstoke: Macmillan Publishers for the Electricity Council. ISBN 0-8018-2145-2.
- "Electricity Act 1989". National Archives.
- "UK Electricity Networks" (pdf). Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. 2001. — "Postnote" 163
