UK Law and Practice Contributed by: Tom Sprange KC, Andrea Stauber, Martina Antosova and Lucy Pearson, King & Spalding International LLP
Northern Ireland (SONI) in Northern Ireland and EirGrid plc in the Republic of Ireland. Principal Laws Governing Ownership The Electricity Act 1989 requires that the following are authorised by a licence: • generators; • those who participate in the transmission of elec- tricity; • distribution network operators; • supply companies; • those who co-ordinate the flow of electricity onto A collection of detailed codes and agreements, known as the industry documents or industry codes, gov- ern the rights and obligations of the companies that participate in the electricity industry. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is involved in the modification processes for most of these indus- try documents and requires, under the terms of the licences granted under the Electricity Act 1989, that: • each licensed company is a party to each agree- ment and complies with each code that is relevant to its licensable activities (as specified in the licence); and • network companies (eg, National Grid or a Distribu- tion Network Operator (DNO)) or NESO maintain and provide for the administration of key industry documents. 1.2 Principal State-Owned or Investor-Owned Entities Generation and over transmission systems; • interconnector operators; and • smart meter providers. As of 14 April 2026, there are 819 electricity genera- tion licences in Great Britain. Key operators include Drax Power, EDF Energy, Engie, RWE, Scottish Power and SSE. There are 74 electricity generation licences in Northern Ireland (as of May 2026). Transmission In Great Britain, transmission is operated by NESO (who took over from National Grid Electricity Sys- tem Operator Limited (NGESO) on 1 October 2024).
The transmission network is owned by National Grid Electricity Transmission plc in England and Wales, SP Transmission plc in central and southern Scotland, and Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc (trading as SSEN) in northern Scotland. As of 14 April 2026, there are 30 transmission licence holders in Great Britain. SONI holds the transmission system operator licence for Northern Ireland. NIE Networks Limited and Moyle Interconnector Limited also hold transmission licenc- es. Distribution As of 14 April 2026, there are 14 electricity distribution licensees and 27 independent electricity distribution licensees in Great Britain. The distribution licensees are: • Eastern Power Networks plc; • Electricity North West Ltd; • London Power Networks plc; • National Grid Electricity Distributions (East Mid- lands) plc; • National Grid Electricity Distributions (South Wales) plc; • National Grid Electricity Distributions (South West) plc; • National Grid Electricity Distributions (West Mid- lands) plc; • Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Ltd; • Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc; • Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc; • South Eastern Power Networks plc; • Southern Electric Power Distribution plc; • SP Distribution plc; and • SP Manweb plc. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks Limited holds a dis- tribution licence. Sales to End-User Consumers As of 14 April 2026, there are 61 domestic and non- domestic suppliers and 42 non-domestic suppliers in Great Britain. The main suppliers include: • British Gas (owned by Centrica plc);
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