Bound volume of Northern Lights magazines

Under the Electricity Act, 1947, The British Electricity Authority (the Central Authority) and fourteen Area Electricity Boards took over, on the 1st April 1948, the ownership and operation of the electricity supply industry throughout Great Britain, except in the case of North of Scotland and some small non-statutory electricity supplies.

The Central Authority was a statutory corporation and its members were appointed by the then Minister of Fuel and Power. The authority was responsible for the generating of electricity and supplying of it in bulk to the Area Electricity Boards. The local Area Boards were responsible for the planning and distribution to the consumers and for this purpose when the Boards were created took over control of the distribution systems of 540 local electricity authorities. Whilst the Central Authority took over the running of all power stations and all the infrastructure necessary to transmit the power to the local Area Boards. The Central Authority was also responsible for exercising general control over the policies of the Boards.

The local Area Boards responsibility was for the onward distribution to all its consumers within its area. In effect, they would buy the power from the Authority who then transmit it to them via the National Grid to the Boards. The scheme covered the whole of the United Kingdom, except the North of Scotland District, where the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Department was responsible for generation and distribution under a separate Act of Parliament.