Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry
Major events
The following is a list of major events in the history of the electricity sector in the United Kingdom.
| Year | Event |
| 1879 | The Liverpool Electric Lighting Act 1879 was the first electric lighting act to be enacted in the UK, it gave the Corporation powers to light streets by electricity |
| 1882 | The Electric Lighting Act 1882 — allowed the setting up of supply systems by persons, companies or local authorities. Local authorities had the right to take over the assets of companies in their area after 21 years which discouraged enterprise. |
| 1882 | The Edison Electric Light Station world's first coal power station opened at 57 Holborn Viaduct London producing 110 volt DC and was used for street lighting. It ran at a loss and closed in 1886. |
| 1888 | The Electric Lighting Act 1888 — amendment to 1882 Act making the setting up of a supply company easier. Extended the reversion to local authority period to 42 years, with optional 10 year extensions. |
| 1890 | The Belfast Electric Lighting Order 1890, confirmed by the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation Act 1890 gave the County Borough of Belfast the authority to generate and sell electricity throughout the city. |
| 1890 | The Electric Lighting Act 1890 |
| 1891 | London Electric Supply Corporation opened Deptford Power Station, UK's first AC power system, designed by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti. |
| 1894 | Electricity first supplied to Londonderry under the provisions of the Londonderry Electric Lighting Order 1891 confirmed by the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation Act 1891. Further powers were given by the Londonderry Corporation Act 1918. |
| 1899 | The Electric Lighting Act 1899 — introduced common principles for Provisional Orders; prohibited the amalgamation of undertakings and the supply of electricity outside a prescribed area. |
| 1901 | Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company opened Neptune Bank Power Station, the first in the UK to supply three-phase electric power. |
| 1902 | The Electric Lighting Act 1902 |
| 1904 | The London Electric Lighting Areas Act 1904 amended the service areas of utilities |
| 1905 | Start-up of Lots Road Power Station to supply London's underground electric railways. |
| 1906 | Start-up of Greenwich power station by the London County Council to power London's tramway system. |
| 1908 | The London Electric Supply Act 1908 transferred the purchasing powers of local authorities to the London County Council. |
| 1909 | The Electric Lighting Act 1909. Regulated planning consent for building power stations. |
| 1910 | The London Electric Supply Act 1910 constituted the London County Council purchasing authority for utilities for which the 1908 Act did not apply. |
| 1919 | Williamson Report and Birchenough Report leads to the Electricity Act 1919. Established Electricity Commission and appointed Electricity Commissioners to provide central coordination, regional organisation and to centralise generation in large power stations owned by Joint Electricity Authorities. |
| 1919 | Ministerial oversight of the electricity industry transferred from the Board of Trade to the newly established Ministry of Transport. |
| 1922 | The Electricity Act 1922 — granted financial powers to Joint Electricity Authorities, four were established in the following years. |
| 1924 | The UK's first hyperbolic reinforced concrete cooling tower constructed by L.G. Mouchel & Partners at Lister Drive power station in Liverpool. |
| 1925 | The London Electricity Act 1925 allowed the amalgamation of 4 electricity undertakings in south and east London. |
| 1925 | The London Electricity Act 1925 allowed the amalgamation of 10 electricity undertakings mainly in south and west London, and the formation of the London Power Company to centralise the generation of electricity in a small number of large power stations, e.g. Willesden, Bow, Deptford and Battersea. |
| 1926 | Weir Report leads to the Electricity Act 1926 — created Central Electricity Board and the National Grid operating at 132 kV |
| 1927 | The London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority Act 1927 conferred additional powers on the Joint Electricity Authority. |
| 1928 | The Electricity Act 1928 made minor amendments to the 1919 Act |
| 1931 | The Electricity Act 1931. Created a state-appointed Electricity Board for Northern Ireland. |
| 1932 | Construction of the 132 kV crossing over the River Thames between Dagenham and Woolwich. The 487 ft towers were then the tallest in the UK, the span was 3060 ft. |
| 1932 | The Railway Standardisation of Electrification Order allowed only 1500 V DC system for overhead current collection and 750 V DC for conductor rail. |
| 1933 | The 132 kV National Grid started operating as interconnected set of regional grids. |
| 1933 | Commissioning of Battersea A power station by the London Power Company. |
| 1933 | The Electricity Act 1933 made minor amendments to the 1919 and 1922 Acts |
| 1935 | The Electricity Act 1935. Regularised grid tariffs for marginal power stations, allowed the CEB to supply electricity to railways directly. |
| 1936 | The Electricity Supply Act 1936 Permitted the appointment of inspectors to ‘officially certify as appropriate for the measurement of supplies of electricity’ the electricity meters installed in consumers' premises. |
| 1938 | The 132 kV National Grid became integrated. |
| 1939 | The Fuel and Lighting Order 1939 required consumers to reduce their use of electricity and gas to 75 per cent of peacetime levels |
| 1940 | The Special Enactments Act 1940 suspended the right of local authorities to acquire company electricity undertakings which may have harmed development and led to fragmentation |
| 1941 | Ministerial oversight of the electricity industry transferred from the newly established Ministry of War Transport back to the Board of Trade. |
| 1942 | Establishment of the Ministry of Fuel and Power to provide strategic oversight of the coal, gas, electricity and oil industries. |
| 1943 | The Hydro-Electric Development Act 1943 the act nationalised the development of Highland water resources and established the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board to design, construct and manage hydro-electricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland. |
| 1947 | The Electricity Act 1947. 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. |
| 1947 | The Control of Turbo-alternators Order 1947 standardised steam driven sets to two sizes 30 MW and 60 MW. The Order was revoked in 1950. |
| 1948 | The Electricity Act, 1948 established the Northern Ireland Joint Electricity Committee and transferred the electricity 'property, rights and assets' from the Ministry of Commerce to the Electricity Board for Northern Ireland. |
| 1949 | The UK's first large scale use of the ‘unit boiler’ with reheat at Dunston B power station, with a boiler dedicated to a turbo-alternator set. |
| 1952 | The ±100 kV DC submarine cable link between UK and France commissioned, designed to transfer 160 MW in either direction between Dungeness and Boulogne. It was decommissioned in 1982. |
| 1952 | The North Wales Hydro-Electric Power Act 1925 extended the catchment area of the Dolgarrog and Meantwrog stations and allowed a 10 MW extension to Dolgarrog station. |
| 1952 | The Electricity Supply Act 1952 |
| 1953 | The first section of the 275 kV grid commissioned, a 41-mile single circuit between Staythorpe and West Melton. |
| 1954 | The Electricity Reorganisation Act 1954 — transferred control of electricity supplies in Scotland to the Secretary of State for Scotland. |
| 1954 | The Atomic Energy Authority Act 1954 established the Atomic Energy Authority to provide oversight of the field of atomic energy in the UK. |
| 1955 | On 1 April the 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. |
| 1956 | Commissioning of the UK's first 100 MW turbo-alternator at Castle Donington power station, which eventually had six 100 MW units. |
| 1956 | The Herbert Committee reported on the organisation and efficiency of electricity supply in the UK. The committee was critical of the dual role of generating power and supervising the industry, this led to the Electricity Act 1957. |
| 1957 | The Electricity Act 1957. The Central Electricity Authority was dissolved and replaced by Central Electricity Generating Board and the Electricity Council. |
| 1957 | Commissioning of the UK's first cyclone-fired boiler at Barking C power station built by Babcock and Wilcox delivering 540,000 lb/hr of steam. |
| 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 known as the Hinton Heavies |
| 1959 | The Electricity Act 1959 limited the borrowing powers of the Electricity Council, the CEGB and the Area Boards to £1,800 million. |
| 1959 | The first 275 kV cables commissioned connecting a generator transformer at Drakelow B power station to the Grid. |
| 1959 | Commissioning of the UK's first 200 MW turbo-alternator at High Marnham power station with advanced steam conditions of 2,350 psi at 1,050 °F. High Marnham was Europe's first 1000 MW power station. |
| 1961 | The Electricity Act 1961 Enabled the Central Electricity Generating Board to manufacture radioisotopes in association with its nuclear reactors, the Electricity Act 1957 had barred the Central Electricity Generating Board from carrying out functions other than the production of electricity. |
| 1962 | Commissioning of the UK's first commercial nuclear power stations, the 275 MW Berkeley power station in Gloucestershire in June, and the 300 MW Bradwell station in Essex in July. |
| 1962 | Commissioning of the UK's first 275 MW turbo-alternator at Blyth B power station. |
| 1963 | The Electricity and Gas Act 1963 — Increased the borrowing powers of the Electricity Council, Electricity Boards, the Gas Council and Area Gas Boards. |
| 1965 | Introduction of the first phase of the 400kV Supergrid from West Burton power stations, Nottinghamshire to Sundon in Bedfordshire. The line was 150 miles long and had a capacity of 1,800 MVA. |
| 1965 | Three cooling towers at Ferrybridge C power station collapse. The design had underestimated wind loading, the CEGB instigated a programme of cooling tower reinforcement. |
| 1965 | Commissioning of the UK's first 350 MW turbo-alternator at Drakelow C and Blyth B power stations, only two units at each station were this size. |
| 1966 | Commissioning of the 580 MW Sizewell A nuclear power station in Suffolk. |
| 1966 | The first 275 kV substation in London in Tottenham. |
| 1967 | One of the 65 MW units at Hams Hall C power station was experimentally converted to burn natural gas in addition to coal, Hams Hall was fully converted to dual coal/gas firing in 1971. |
| 1967 | Commissioning of the UK's first 500 MW turbo-alternator at Ferrybridge C power station. This became a standard size planned to be used in 49 units at 14 new power stations. |
| 1968 | The Gas and Electricity Act 1968 — Further increased the borrowing powers of the Gas Council and Area Gas Boards, the Electricity Council, and Scottish Electricity Boards. |
| 1969 | The first of the new 2000 MW Generating Units are officially opened by the Ministry of Power Roy Mason at West Burton power stations |
| 1971 | The CEGB was reorganised to provide more authority to the five operating regions; project groups and specialist departments merged into the Generation Development and Construction Division. |
| 1972 | The Electricity Act 1972 — raised the limit on the borrowing powers of the Electricity Council and the electricity boards in England and Wales to £5,200 million. |
| 1974 | Commissioning of the UK's first 660 MW turbo-alternator at Drax power station. |
| 1976 | Energy Act 1976 allowed the Secretary of State, for conservation purposes, to regulate or prohibit the production, supply, acquisition or use of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, electricity any other substance used as fuel. |
| 1976 | The UK's first Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor nuclear power stations commissioned, at Hinkley Point B in Somerset and Hunterston B in Strathclyde. |
| 1976 | The CEGB announces the decommissioning of 2,884 MW of excess generating capability, 23 power stations closed plus 18 partly closed on 25 October. |
| 1977 | A further 650 MW of generating capacity decommissioned in March: 6 stations closed and 2 partially closed. |
| 1978 | Economy 7 introduced. |
| 1979 | The Electricity Act 1979 consolidated previous enactments for the supply of electricity in Scotland |
| 1979 | The first use of gas turbines for main power generation at Letchworth, Ocker Hill, Taylors Lane and Watford power stations. These were 70 MW generators using Rolls-Royce Olympus jet engines. Previous gas turbines had been used as auxiliary units, supplying station auxiliaries and for peak-shaving. |
| 1981 | The CEGB decommissions 3,400 MW of generating capacity, permanently closing 2,082 MW in 16 power stations, 1,320 MW was retained unused in reserve. |
| 1981 | Prototype assisted draft cooling tower commissioned at Ince B power station using 36 fans in place of 3 conventional cooling towers. |
| 1983 | The Energy Act 1983 — allowing small scale private generators. |
| 1984 | A cooling tower at Fiddler's Ferry power station collapsed in high winds. Investigation showed this was due to an imperfection in the shape of the shell above the ring beam |
| 1986 | The ±270 kV DC submarine cable link between UK and France commissioned capable of transferring 2,000 MW. |
| 1988 | UK accepts EC's Large Combustion Plant Directive to address environmental damage from acid rain. |
| 1989 | The Electricity Act 1989 provided for the privatisation of the electricity industry, and introduced the Fossil Fuel Levy to support the nuclear power industry. The Act established the Office of Electricity Regulation to promote competition in the industry and to protect consumers' interests. |
| 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. From 1 March 1992 the Office of Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland was established under the Electricity Order 1992. |
| 1993 | Supply industry in Northern Ireland privatised. |
| 1994 | Value-added tax of 8% imposed on domestic energy. |
| 1995 | Major assets of Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear were merged including the UK's eight most advanced nuclear plants, forming a new private company, British Energy. |
| 1995 | National Grid Company plc becomes part of National Grid Group plc. |
| 1997 | Pembroke Power Station closes, the first of the 500MW Hinton Heavies |
| 2000 | The Utilities Act 2000, Section 1 established the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets which merged and abolished the Office of Electricity Regulation and Office of Gas Supply. |
| 2000 | The Utilities Act 2000, Section 62 empowered the Secretary of State to impose obligations on all licensed electricity suppliers for a proportion of their total supply of electricity to consumers to be from renewable sources. |
| 2000 | Isle of Man to England Interconnector commissioned, at 104 km it is the longest AC submarine power cable in the world. |
| 2001 | The Central Electricity Generating Board Order 2001. CEGB formally wound up. The Electricity Council Order 2001. Electricity Council formally wound up. |
| 2002 | National Grid Group plc merged with Lattice Group plc including Transco plc, to form National Grid Transco plc which included Transco plc and National Grid Company plc. The National Grid and the gas National Transmission System were now managed by a single holding company. |
| 2003 | The Energy Order 2003 - Established the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation and abolished the offices of Director General of Gas for Northern Ireland and Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland. |
| 2004 | The Energy Act 2004 established the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and defined responsibilities for the decommissioning and cleaning up of civil nuclear installations and sites. |
| 2005 | National Grid Transco plc renamed National Grid plc |
| 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. |
| 2008 | The Energy Act 2008 established a renewables obligation for generating electricity from renewable sources; made provisions for the decommissioning and clean-up of nuclear sites; and the provision of smart meters. |
| 2009 | After becoming the UK's largest electricity generation company, British Energy is bought by Électricité de France, a state owned company. |
| 2010 | The Energy Act 2010 required the Government to prepare reports on the progress made on the decarbonisation of electricity generation in Britain and the development and use of Carbon Capture and Storage; and to create schemes for energy suppliers to give benefits to customers to reduce fuel poverty. |
| 2011 | BritNed the 450 kV DC submarine inter-connector cable between the UK and the Netherlands commissioned. It is 260 km long and has a capacity of 1,000 MW. |
| 2012 | The East–West Interconnector the ±200 kV DC submarine and underground power cable between Pentir, North Wales and Arklow, County Wicklow commissioned. It is 261 km long and has a capacity of 500 MW. |
| 2012 | Kingsnorth Power Station ceases generation on 17 December 2012, the next Hinton Heavy to face closure |
| 2013 | Didcot Power Station ceases generation on 22 March 2013 |
| 2013 | Fawley Power Station closes on 31 March 2013 |
| 2015 | Ironbridge Power Station is switched off on 20 November 2015 |
| 2016 | Ferrybridge Power Station closes on 31 March 2016 |
| 2016 | Rugeley Power Station closes |
| 2018 | Eggborough Power Station stops generating on 23 March 2018 |
| 2019 | The 400 kV DC NEMO inter-connector connecting the UK with Belgium commissioned 31 January. It is 140 km long and has a capacity of 1,000 MW. |
| 2019 | Cottam Power Station stops generating on 30 September 2019, the latest of the Hinton Heavies to close. Aberthaw power station closes on 13 December 2019. |
| 2020 | Fiddler's Ferry power station closes on 31 March 2020. |