The UK generation market

At Vesting in March 1990, power generation in England and Wales was dominated by the large generating companies created by privatisation, National Power (NP), PowerGen and Nuclear Electric. In addition to this, power had been provided via the interconnectors to Scotland and France and to a lesser extent by pumped storage. In the period since Vesting, there has been a marked shift both in the market dominance of these generators and in the favoured power plant technology. Furthermore, the period has been marked by an increasing regulatory presence. This article is a reflection on the changing nature of the market and the roles of the players in the last three years, and an insight into the major developments which will impact upon the market in the future.