British Power and Light Corporation

British Power and Light Corporation Limited

Company type	Private company (holding company)
Industry	Electricity supply
Founded	May 7, 1929 (1929-05-07)
Founder	British merchant bankers
Defunct	March 31, 1948 (1948-03-31)
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Area served	England and Wales
Key people	George Victor Twiss (managing director), Henry Augustus Vernet, Edward de Stein, Constantine Evelyn Benson, Gerald William Partridge
Products	Electricity supply via subsidiary companies

The British Power and Light Corporation Limited, also referred to as British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited, was formed in 1929 with the purpose of acquiring controlling stakes in various electricity undertakings located in North Wales; East Suffolk; South Somerset; Trent Valley and High Peak; West Hampshire; and Ringwood, Hampshire. The company operated for 19 years before being dissolved following the 1948 nationalisation of the British electricity supply sector.

Background

Incorporated on 7 May 1929 as a holding company by British merchant bankers, the corporation's objective was to manage and expand several electricity undertakings throughout England and Wales.

The founding board members included:

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

With its headquarters situated at 27 Old Broad Street, London EC2, the corporation secured controlling interests in:

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

Additionally, it fully acquired ownership of five electricity undertakings:

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

British Power and Light was among several holding firms with geographically dispersed portfolios, alongside Christy Bros. and Company Limited; Edmundsons Electricity Corporation; Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited; and Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited.

North Wales companies

Throughout the 1920s, the North Wales Power Company experienced a steady rise in electricity sales and income:

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

Despite this growth, profitability remained constrained due to limited generation capacity (5.5 MW), requiring the purchase of additional electricity.

The company operated three hydro-electric power stations:

• Cwm Dyli (commissioned 1906), capacity 5 MW
• Dolgarrog No.1 (1909) and No.2 (1925), combined 17.6 MW
• Maentwrog (1928), capacity 24 MW

To support expansion efforts, British Power and Light floated 1.6 million £1 shares on the Stock Exchange in May 1929.

During the 1930s, gross revenue from electricity sales by the North Wales company showed consistent growth:

North Wales electricity sales and revenue 1932–37

Year	Sales to consumers		Sales to CEB		Sales to Distribution Co.
Electricity (MWh)	Revenue (£)	Electricity (MWh)	Revenue (£)	Electricity (MWh)	Revenue (£)
1932	65,486	247,717	0	0	10,219	154,186
1933	73,563	274,171	0	0	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), created in 1926 to develop the National Grid, purchased electricity from selected generating stations.

Operations 1937

The summary below presents the operational and financial statistics for the companies under British Power and Light Corporation in 1937:

British Power and Light Corporation constituent company operations 1937

	North Wales	North Wales Distribution	East Suffolk	South Somerset	Trent Valley & High Peak	West    Hampshire	Ringwood
Installed Generating Capacity, MW	52.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.145
Electricity Produced, 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 Distributed, MWh	127,844	16,796	2,153	4,504	5,243	4,415	1,277
Revenue from Electricity Sold (£)	408,853	195,441	24,693	40,930	40,056	49,026	11,703
Number of Customers Served	3,435	39,741	3,601	4,911	5,957	7,071	1,552
Connected Load on System (kW)	73,724	50,104	4,871	8,114	10,923	7,633	1,923
Gross Profit (£)	261,388	70,869	14,890	18,987	21,818	25,866	5,507

In December 1938, British Power and Light Corporation sought to finance its expansion by issuing shares worth £4 million on the Stock Exchange.

The board of directors in 1938 featured Edward de Stein and chairman Constantine Evelyn Benson among others. The company’s registered office was located at Artillery House in Westminster.

Operations 1947

During the last complete year prior to nationalisation (1947), the operational figures demonstrated notable increases:

British Power and Light Corporation constituent company operations 1947

	North Wales	North Wales Distribution	East Suffolk	South Somerset	Trent Valley & High Peak	West    Hampshire	Ringwood
Electricity Produced (MWh)	51,875	0	0	0	0	0	166
Electricity Purchased (MWh)	309,048	57,240	11,880	18,378	19,758	219,240	- |Electricity Distributed (MWh)	49,871 |9,596 |16,058 |17,992 |201,800 |7.599 |- |Revenue from Electricity Sold (£)	458.519 |68.602 |123.824 |119.058 |915.044 |41.227 |- |Gross Profit (£)	181.863 |19.061 |38.941 |43.972 |168.134 |8.435 |} Abolition On 31 March 1948 the British Power and Light Corporation along with its subsidiaries ceased to exist following the nationalisation of the UK electricity sector. Ownership of generating plants was transferred to the British Electricity Authority; meanwhile distribution assets were assigned to regional electricity boards such as Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board and Southern Electricity Board. As one of five major electricity undertakings—including Christy Brothers and Company Limited and Edmundsons Electricity Corporation—its holdings were distributed amongst various area boards after nationalisation. See also North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority List of pre-nationalisation UK electric power companies References