# British Power & Light Corporation Limited

The British Power and Light Corporation Limited, also known as the British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited was registered in 1929 to acquire a controlling interest in electricity undertakings in North Wales; East Suffolk; South Somerset; Trent Valley and High Peak; West Hampshire; and Ringwood, Hampshire. The corporation operated for 19 years and was abolished upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

## Background

The British Power & Light Corporation Limited was registered on 7 May 1929 as a holding company by a group of British merchant bankers to assume control of, and develop, a number of electricity undertakings in England and Wales.
The inaugural board of directors were:
* Henry Augustus Vernet
* Edward de Stein
* Constatine Evelyn Benson
* Gerald William Partridge
* George Victor Twiss (managing director)
The company's registered office was 27 Old Broad Street, London EC2.
After establishment the British Power and Light Corporation acquired a controlling interest in two companies:
* The North Wales Power Company Limited
* Electricity Distribution of North Wales and District Limited
In addition, it acquired the whole of the share capital of five electricity undertakings:
* East Suffolk Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (Orford undertaking)
* South Somerset and District Electricity Co. Ltd.
* Trent Valley and High Peak Electricity Co. Ltd. (Chapel-en-le-Frith and Rugeley undertakings)
* West Hampshire Electricity Co. Ltd.
* Ringwood Electric Supply Co. Ltd.
The British Power & Light Corporation was one of a number of electricity holding companies that had a wide and disparate geographical range of interests. Other such companies included: Christy Bros. and Company Limited; Edmundsons Electricity Corporation Limited ; Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited; Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited.

## North Wales Companies

The North Wales Power Company had increased its sales and revenue during the 1920s:
| 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 |
However, the company's profits had not been commensurate with its capital because of a shortage of generating plant (only 5.5 MW). This meant that electricity had to be purchased.
The North Wales Power Company owned three hydro-electric power stations:
* Cwm Dyli, commissioned in 1906, output 5 MW,
* Dolgarrog, No.1 station commissioned in 1909 and No.2 station in 1925, total output 17.6 MW,
* Maentwrog, commissioned in 1928, output 24 MW.
To raise capital from its inception the British Power & Light Corporation offered 1,600,000 shares of £1 each on the Stock Exchange in May 1929.
The gross revenue of the North Wales company from the sale of electricity rose steadily during the 1930s, as shown:
North Wales company electricity sales and revenue 1932-37 :
| Year | Sales to consumers | Sales to consumers | Sales to CEB (note) | Sales to CEB (note) | Sales to Distribution Co | Sales to Distribution Co |
| Year | Electricity, MWh | Revenue | Electricity, MWh | Revenue | Electricity, MWh | Revenue |
| 1932 | 65,486 | £247,717 | Nil | Nil | 10,219 | £154,186 |
| 1933 | 73,563 | £274,171 | Nil | Nil | 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) was established in 1926 to construct the national grid and to control and purchase electricity from selected power stations.

## Operations 1937

A summary and breakdown of the operating and financial data in 1937 for the constituent companies is shown on the table.
British Power & Light Corporation constituent company operations 1937 :
| | North Wales | North Wales Distribution | East Suffolk | South Somerset | Trent Valley & High Peak | West Hampshire | Ringwood |
| Generating Capacity, MW | 52.2 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | 0.145 |
| Electricity Generated, 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 Sold, MWh | 127,844 | 16,796 | 2,153 | 4,504 | 5,243 | 4,415 | 1,277 |
| Electricity Sold£, | 408,853 | 195,441 | 24,693 | 40,930 | 40,056 | 49,026 | 11,703 |
| No. of Consumers | 3,435 | 39,741 | 3,601 | 4,911 | 5,957 | 7,071 | 1,552 |
| Connections on system, kW | 73,724 | 50,104 | 4,871 | 8,114 | 10,923 | 7,633 | 1,923 |
| Gross surplus£, | 261,388 | 70,869 | 14,890 | 18,987 | 21,818 | 25,866 | 5,507 |
To raise further capital, in December 1938 the British Power & Light Corporation offered £4 million of shares on the Stock Exchange.
The board of directors in 1938 were:
* Edward de Stein
* Constatine Evelyn Benson (chairman)
* Gerald William Partridge
* Reginald Francis Legge
* Robert Stuart Hilton
* George Wansbrough
The registered office was Artillery House, Artillery Row, Westminster, London SW1.

## Operations 1947

In its last full year of operation (1947) a summary and breakdown of the operating and financial data for the constituent companies is shown on the table.
British Power & Light Corporation constituent company operations 1947 :
| | North Wales | North Wales Distribution | East Suffolk | South Somerset | Trent Valley & High Peak | West Hampshire | Ringwood |
| Electricity Generated, MWh | 51,875 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | 166 |
| Electricity Purchased, MWh | 309,048 | 57,240 | 11,880 | 18,378 | 19,758 | 219,240 | 7,633 |
| Electricity Sold, MWh | 336,601 | 49,871 | 9,596 | 16058 | 17,992 | 201,800 | 7,599 |
| Electricity Sold£, | 1,201,026 | 458,519 | 68,602 | 123,824 | 119,058 | 915,044 | 41,227 |
| Gross surplus£, | 368,209 | 181,863 | 19,061 | 38,941 | 43,972 | 168,134 | 8,435 |

## Abolition

The British Power & Light Corporation Limited and all its constituent Companies were abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British Electricity Industry was nationalised. The generating plant and transmission systems devolved to the British Electricity Authority and the distribution systems to the appropriate geographical Electricity Board, for example the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board, the Southern Electricity Board, the Eastern Electricity Board.
The company was one of five electricity undertakings that operated over large geographical areas. Its assets were divided between two or more Area Electricity Boards. The five companies were:
* British Power & Light Corporation Limited
* Christy Brothers and Company Limited
* Edmundsons Electricity Corporation Limited
* Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited
* Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited, see Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited