SWEB Energy, formerly South Western Electricity Board (SWEB) was a British state-owned

regional electricity company 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 th ...

operating in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

which was privatised by the Thatcher government. Although sold many times, the 'SWEB' brand name survived until 2006. The distribution network operator for the former SWEB area is now Western Power Distribution. The incumbent electricity retail company is EDF Energy.

South Western Electricity Board (SWEB)

The board was responsible for the purchase of electricity from the electricity generator (the

Central Electricity Generating Board 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. It was established on 1 Janu ...

from 1958) and its distribution and sale of electricity to customers. The key people on the board were: Chairman A.N. Irens (1964, 1967), Deputy Chairman S.F.C. Whitmore (1964, 1967), and full-time member C.E. Knight (1964, 1967). The total number of customers supplied by the board over its operational life was: The amount of electricity, in GWh, sold by South Western Electricity Board was:

Company timeline

In 1990, SWEB Energy was formed from the privatisation of the South Western Electricity Board. In 1995, SWEB Energy was bought by the American utility

Southern Company Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second larg ...

. In 1999, the company was bought by the PPL Corporation distribution company Western Power Distribution and was split into two. Western Power itself (officially known as WPD South West) dealt with the local distribution, metering and substations, and the 'SWEB' brand name was continued as a retail energy utility. In June 1999, SWEB was sold to French-owned EDF Energy. The acquisition was authorised by the European Commission in Jul.1999.Commission clears acquisition of SWEB (United Kingdom) by EdF (France)
European Commission, Press Release, Jul.20.1999 EDF discontinued the 'SWEB' brand name on 5 June 2006.

References

External links

HISTELEC NEWS
South Western Electricity Historical Society documents Electric power companies of the United Kingdom Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom Utilities of the United Kingdom {{energy-company-stub