Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (the trading name of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc and Southern Electric Power Distribution plc) is one of two energy companies in the UK to be involved both in electricity transmission and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

. The company forms part of the SSE plc group, which is listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

and is a constituent of the

FTSE 100 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is the United Kingdom's best-known stock market index of the 100 most highly capitalised blue chips listed on ...

. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks manages two distribution networks and one transmission network. The company manages two of the fourteen distribution licenses in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. The company's electricity distribution and transmission networks carry

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

to over 3.9 million homes and businesses across the north of the Central Belt of Scotland, as well as Central Southern England. The company operates in the United Kingdom with head offices in

Perth, Scotland Perth (; ) is a centrally located Cities of Scotland, Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about ...

and

Reading, England Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

History

Origins

The company has its origins in two

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

electricity supply authorities. Scottish Hydroelectric, founded as the

North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1943–1990) was founded to design, construct and manage hydroelectricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland. It is regarded as one of the major achievements of Scottish politician Thomas Johnston, ...

in 1943, was established to design, construct and manage

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

projects in the Highlands of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and took over a further generation and distribution responsibilities when the UK's electricity industry was nationalized in 1948. Southern Electric, founded as Southern Electricity Board in 1948, was created to distribute electricity in Southern England. While the Southern Electricity Board was a distribution-only authority with no power generation capacity of its own, the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was a broader spectrum organisation which did have power-generating capabilities. Because of its history and location, the Hydroelectric Board was responsible for most of the UK's hydroelectric generating capacity. Both authorities were privatized and re-branded in 1990/91, initially retaining their pre-privatization geographic and functional bases.

Post-privatization

In 1998, Scottish and Southern Energy was formed following a merger between Scottish Hydroelectric and Southern Electric. This part of the SSE plc group is now referred to as Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

Rebranding

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Van

In September 2016, the well-known trading names of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD), Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD), Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHET), and Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD), merged into a single trading entity known as the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. The licensee names of the four did not change. As part of the rebranding, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks changed their logo, colour scheme, imagery set, social media channels, and website. They also introduced a new company motto centred around being a part of the community they serve: "Powering our Community."

Partnerships

In November 2022, SSE sold a 25% stake in SSEN Transmission (the trading name for Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission) to

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board () is an independent organization responsible for administering defined benefit pension plan, defined-benefit pensions for school teachers of the provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of ...

Operations

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks operate the economically regulated electricity distribution and transmission networks across the north of the Central Belt of Scotland and also Central Southern England, delivering power to 3.9 million homes. With a workforce of over 4,100 working from 85 depots and offices, they look after a network that consists of: * 130,000 km of overhead lines and underground cables * 106,000 substations * Over 100 subsea cables, powering island communities such as

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

and

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks—Central Southern England

The Central Southern England network is the larger of two distribution networks and delivers electrical supplies to over 3.1 million customers across central southern England. The operational region ranges from rural communities in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

to towns and cities including

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

and in parts of West London. They also distribute electricity to and across the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks—Northern Scotland

The Northern Scotland network is the smaller of the two, and delivers electricity to some 740,000 customers. This operating region covers a quarter of the UK landmass, and has challenges both regarding distance and location. As well as the major towns and cities of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

and

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, they connect to most Scottish islands with over 100 subsea cable links, including the Inner and Outer

, Arran and the

Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...

. They also serve the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

, which runs as a separate electrical system without a connection to the mainland.

Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission)

Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission owns and maintains the 132 kV, 220 kV, 275 kV and 400 kV electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, in some of the UK's most challenging geographical terrain. Some of their circuits are over 750 meters above sea level, and some are up to 250 km long.

Independent distribution network operator

In addition to the

distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution netwo ...

s who are licensed for a specific geographic area, there are also independent distribution network operators (IDNOs). These own and operate electricity distribution networks which are predominantly network extensions connected to an existing distribution network. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks provides distribution services in South Scotland, England and Wales as an IDNO.

Services

In the event of a power outage, it is the responsibility of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks to repair the fault and get power back on for affected areas. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks also has a Priority Services Register to support customers with disabilities or particular vulnerabilities in the event of a power outage. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has a team dedicated to dealing with non-emergency electricity network jobs in central southern England and northern Scotland. These services range from shrouding overhead power cables to locating underground electricity cables so that they can be worked around safely.

Controversy

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks are responsible for a controversial plan to expand Scotland’s electrical infrastructure network, with a new network of pylons, substations and associated infrastructure across much of rural Scotland.

References

External links

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks – Transmission

SSE plc
Electric power companies of Scotland Electric power transmission system operators in the United Kingdom