Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry

Table columns:
Year
Event

Table rows:
cells: 1882
The Electric Lighting Act 1882 (repealed 1989) — allowed the setting up of supply systems by persons, companies or local authorities
cells: 1888
The Electric Lighting Act 1888 (repealed 1989) — amendment to 1882 Act making the setting up of a supply company easier.
cells: 1891
London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) opened Deptford Power Station, UK's first AC power system, designed by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti.
cells: 1899
The Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1901
Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company (NESCo) opened Neptune Bank Power Station, the first in the UK to supply three-phase electric power.
cells: 1909
The Electric Lighting Act 1909 (repealed 1989). Regulated planning consent for building power stations.
cells: 1919
Williamson Report and Birchenough Report leads to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919[1](repealed 1989). Established Electricity Commission[citation needed] and appointed Electricity Commissioners
cells: 1922
The Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1926
Weir Report leads to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (repealed 1989) — created Central Electricity Board and the National Grid operating at 132 kV (50 Hz)
cells: 1933
The 132 kV National Grid started operating as interconnected set of regional grids.
cells: 1936
The Electricity Supply (Meters) Act 1936 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1938
The 132 kV National Grid became integrated.
cells: 1943
The Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1947
The Electricity Act 1947 (repealed 1989). 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.
cells: 1954
The Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1955
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.
cells: 1957
The Electricity Act 1957 (repealed 1989). The Central Electricity Authority was dissolved and replaced by Central Electricity Generating Board and the Electricity Council.
cells: 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
cells: 1961
The Electricity (Amendment) Act 1961 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1963
The Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1965
Introduction of the first phase of the 400kV Supergrid from West Burton power stations, Nottinghamshire to Sundon in Bedfordshire
cells: 1968
The Gas and Electricity Act 1968 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1969
The first of the new 2000 MW Generating Units are officially opened by the Ministry of Power (United Kingdom) Roy Mason at West Burton power stations
cells: 1972
The Electricity Act 1972 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1978
Economy 7 introduced.
cells: 1979
The Electricity (Scotland) Act 1979 (repealed 1989)
cells: 1989
The Electricity Act 1989 provides for the privatisation of the electricity industry in Great Britain
cells: 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.
cells: 1991
Scottish industry privatised
cells: 1992
Electricity supply in Northern Ireland privatised. Premier Power formed.
cells: 1993
Supply industry in Northern Ireland privatised.
cells: 1995
Major assets of Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear were merged the UK's eight most advanced nuclear plants, forming a new private company, British Energy.
cells: 2000
The Utilities Act 2000 placed responsibility on generators to allow for connecting distributed energy sources to grid.[clarification needed]
cells: 2001
The Central Electricity Generating Board (Dissolution) Order 2001. CEGB formally wound up.
cells: 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.
cells: 2009
After becoming the UK's largest electricity generation company, British Energy is bought by Électricité de France (EDF), a stated owned company.[2]

Questions about this table:
originalText: when was electricity first used in the uk
answer: answerTexts: 1882