Electricity privatization began in the early 1990s, and the final phase of transition ended in May 1999. The grid distribution system in England and Wales became the property of the National Grid Company. Regional Electricity Boards were privatized as separate distribution companies. Large industrial buyers have urged the government to reform the existing market, known as the pool, claiming generators have manipulated the system to maintain higher prices. Currently, generation companies sell electricity into the pool, organized by National Grid, and distribution companies buy electricity from the pool.
Customers buy electricity from the distribution company.
Coal Producers Coal production and consumption in the United Kingdom have decreased dramatically since 1986. In the late 1980s, coal accounted for about two-thirds of the United Kingdom's thermal electricity production. Coal mines are located primarily in central and northern England and southern Wales, with some coal mines also found in southern Scotland. Between 1984 and 1985, the British coal miners' union staged a year-long strike. The strike dramatically altered energy production and consumption patterns in the United Kingdom for that year and precipitated the longer term decline of the industry.