The British Electricity Experiment: Privatization: The Record, The Issues, The Lessons

In 1990, energy in the UK underwent a unique and fundamental transformation, with the privatization of the electricity supply industry. This is the first book to fully assess the experiment. It first explains how - and why - the British electricity supply industry was privatized. It then identifies the subsequent changes in electricity prices, profits, employment, investment, nuclear power and renewable, and the extent to which each of these was due solely to privatization or to other factors, or could have come about by reform of the previous model, rather than privatization. Finally, the authors analyse the key unresolved issues of regulation, introducing competition into the domestic energy market in 1998, supply security, and other long-term strategic considerations. Throughout, the distinguish between the uniquely British elements of the experience and those which can be drawn upon by other countries embarking upon similar reforms.
Today, governments throughout the world are looking to the UK's experience as a potential prototype for the restructure of their own electricity supply industries. For them, and for electricity utilities, fuel and power plant suppliers, regulation authorities, financial analysts, international agencies, journalists and academics alike, this thorough and pragmatic study will be essential reading. The British Electricity Experiment is the result of a detailed study undertaken by the Energy Programme at the science Policy Research unit (SPRU).

In 1991 energy in the UK underwent a unique and fundamental transformation, with the privatisation of the electricity supply industry. This is the first book to fully assess the experiment. It first explains how and why the British electricity supply industry was privatised. It then identifies the subsequent changes in electricity prices, profits, employment, investment, nuclear power and renewables, and the extent to which each of these was due solely to privatisation or to other factors, or could have been achieved by reform of the previous model, rather than privatisation. Finally, the book analyses the key unresolved issues of regulation, introducing competition into the domestic energy market in 1998, supply security, and other long-term strategic considerations. Throughout, it distinguishes between the uniquely British elements of the experience and those which can be drawn upon by other countries embarking upon similar reforms.Today, governments throughout the world are looking to the UK's experience as a potential prototype for the restructure of their own electricity supply industries. For them, and for electricity utilities, fuel and power plant suppliers, regulation authorities, financial analysts, international agencies, journalists and academics alike, this thorough and pragmatic study will be essential reading.

Environmental Politics

This is an excellent book, and stands as an authoritative and balanced account of the history, the issues and the lessons of this British experiment.

Professor John Surrey was head of SPR's Energy Programme between 1969 and 1986. He has worked with the central Electricity Generating Board, as a government Economic Adviser, and as a Specialist Adviser to numerous House of Commons Select Committee inquiries on energy matters.