Misplaced Pages

#445554

84-516: EDF Energy is a British integrated energy company, wholly owned by the French state-owned EDF (Électricité de France), with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of natural gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom . It employs 11,717 people, and handles 5.22 million business and residential customer accounts. EDF Energy Customers (trading as EDF)

168-484: A gigawatt each. They generate about a third of the world's electricity , but cause many illnesses and the most early deaths per unit of energy produced, mainly from air pollution . World installed capacity doubled from 2000 to 2023 and increased 2% in 2023. A coal-fired power station is a type of fossil fuel power station . The coal is usually pulverized and then burned in a pulverized coal-fired boiler . The furnace heat converts boiler water to steam , which

252-533: A magnet . Central power stations became economically practical with the development of alternating current (AC) power transmission, using power transformers to transmit power at high voltage and with low loss. Commercial electricity production started with the coupling of the dynamo to the hydraulic turbine. The mechanical production of electric power began the Second Industrial Revolution and made possible several inventions using electricity, with

336-550: A combined capacity of 73 megawatts to the China General Nuclear Power Group for an estimated £100   million. In November 2017, EDF sold its majority stake in five wind farms across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire for £98   million. A release from EDF confirmed that in 2018 the firm lost 200,000 consumers due to them shopping around a competitive marketplace. EDF also found that earnings for its UK business had tumbled by 16.5% to £691   million in

420-556: A de facto nationalisation of the group. Under the British Government's restructuring programme the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) acted as a creditor and liability receiver for British Energy Group. In return, a mechanism was put in place whereby NLF could carry out a cash sweep of the organisation and claim 65% of British Energy's available cash flow each year, on top of a fixed annual contribution. British Energy

504-726: A floating offshore wind development at Blyth and a 22 turbine onshore wind farm Garn Fach in Wales. EDF develop, operate and maintain solar projects. Sutton Bridge is the company's first solar farm of grid-scale and will be approximately 139 hectares. In 2019 EDF signed an agreement to install solar panels on the roofs of a number of Tesco's largest stores in England. EDF owned and operated one 2,000   MW coal fired power station, West Burton A Power Station , located near Retford in Nottinghamshire . Generation at West Burton A power station ended on

588-451: A generator are photovoltaic solar and fuel cells . Almost all commercial electrical power on Earth is generated with a turbine , driven by wind, water, steam or burning gas. The turbine drives a generator, thus transforming its mechanical energy into electrical energy by electromagnetic induction. There are many different methods of developing mechanical energy, including heat engines , hydro, wind and tidal power. Most electric generation

672-645: A generator to rotate. Electrochemistry is the direct transformation of chemical energy into electricity, as in a battery . Electrochemical electricity generation is important in portable and mobile applications. Currently, most electrochemical power comes from batteries. Primary cells , such as the common zinc–carbon batteries , act as power sources directly, but secondary cells (i.e. rechargeable batteries) are used for storage systems rather than primary generation systems. Open electrochemical systems, known as fuel cells , can be used to extract power either from natural fuels or from synthesized fuels. Osmotic power

756-459: A group of secured creditors known as the Eggborough banks; who had provided financing for the purchase of the Eggborough coal-fired power plant in 2000. The plan that resulted from these talks nearly eliminated any equity interest of existing stockholders; the firm's creditors waived over £1   billion of debts in return for control of the company. Shareholders received only 2.5% of the shares of

840-408: A huge amount of power from a single unit. However, nuclear disasters have raised concerns over the safety of nuclear power, and the capital cost of nuclear plants is very high. Hydroelectric power plants are located in areas where the potential energy from falling water can be harnessed for moving turbines and the generation of power. It may not be an economically viable single source of production where

924-542: A large number of consumers. Most power plants used in centralised generation are thermal power plants meaning that they use a fuel to heat steam to produce a pressurised gas which in turn spins a turbine and generates electricity. This is the traditional way of producing energy. This process relies on several forms of technology to produce widespread electricity, these being natural coal, gas and nuclear forms of thermal generation. More recently solar and wind have become large scale. A photovoltaic power station , also known as

SECTION 10

#1732869566446

1008-657: A milestone in November 2021, clocking up 2000 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity – enough to power all the UK's homes for more than 18 years. In February 2013, EDF sought an estimated £5   million in damages from environmental activists from the No Dash for Gas campaign, who occupied the EDF owned West Burton CCGT power station in October 2012, and pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated trespass. It

1092-555: A new greener eco friendly image. In 2009, with Euro RSCG London , EDF created the Team Green Britain campaign, in which Olympic athletes encouraged Britons to be more environmentally aware. On 2 April 2012, EDF launched an advert, including their new mascot, Zingy. In 2020 EDF launched their new brand purpose focused on tackling climate change and aired a TV advertising campaign promoting their new company ambition and purpose "Helping Britain achieve Net Zero". EDF Energy Networks

1176-536: A prime source of power within isolated villages. Total world generation in 2021 was 28,003 TWh, including coal (36%), gas (23%), hydro (15%), nuclear (10%), wind (6.6%), solar (3.7%), oil and other fossil fuels (3.1%), biomass (2.4%) and geothermal and other renewables (0.33%). China produced a third of the world's electricity in 2021, largely from coal. The United States produces half as much as China but uses far more natural gas and nuclear. Variations between countries generating electrical power affect concerns about

1260-441: A scale of at least 1 MW p . As of 2018, the world's largest operating photovoltaic power stations surpassed 1 gigawatt . At the end of 2019, about 9,000 solar farms were larger than 4 MW AC (utility scale), with a combined capacity of over 220 GW AC . A wind farm or wind park, or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity . Wind farms vary in size from

1344-485: A seven-year partnership agreement with Doosan Babcock Energy to provide technical, engineering and operational support across all British Energy sites. The agreement was at the time held to be potentially worth around £550   million, bringing up to 800 jobs into Scotland and the rest of the UK. The company faced financial trouble from 2002, when it first approached the British government for financial aid. This followed

1428-629: A slump in wholesale energy prices, a failure to obtain relaxations on the Climate Change Levy , and renegotiations of its back-end fuel costs with BNFL, as well as issues with a number of its reactors (resulting in much capacity being offline during critical periods of the company financial crisis) and a failure to complete a timely sale of its joint-venture share in AmerGen. Parties to the resulting talks included bondholders, significant but unsecured creditors, power purchase agreement counterparties, and

1512-533: A small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an extensive area. Wind farms can be either onshore or offshore . Many of the largest operational onshore wind farms are located in China, India, and the United States. For example, the largest wind farm in the world , Gansu Wind Farm in China had a capacity of over 6,000  MW by 2012, with a goal of 20,000 MW by 2020. As of December 2020,

1596-465: A solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power . They are different from most building-mounted and other decentralized solar power because they supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users. Utility-scale solar is sometimes used to describe this type of project. This approach differs from concentrated solar power ,

1680-444: A sole pressurised water reactor (PWR) plant from Nuclear Electric . The residual Magnox power stations from these two companies were transferred to Magnox Electric which later became the generation division of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd . The company was privatised in 1996. It retained major technical offices at Barnwood , formerly the HQ of Nuclear Electric, and Peel Park, formerly

1764-462: Is a possibility at places where salt and fresh water merge. The photovoltaic effect is the transformation of light into electrical energy, as in solar cells . Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly to DC electricity. Power inverters can then convert that to AC electricity if needed. Although sunlight is free and abundant, solar power electricity is still usually more expensive to produce than large-scale mechanically generated power due to

SECTION 20

#1732869566446

1848-468: Is based upon the local power requirement and the fluctuations in demand. All power grids have varying loads on them. The daily minimum is the base load , often supplied by plants which run continuously. Nuclear, coal, oil, gas and some hydro plants can supply base load. If well construction costs for natural gas are below $ 10 per MWh, generating electricity from natural gas is cheaper than generating power by burning coal. Nuclear power plants can produce

1932-975: Is driven by heat engines. The combustion of fossil fuels supplies most of the energy to these engines, with a significant fraction from nuclear fission and some from renewable sources . The modern steam turbine , invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884, currently generates about 80% of the electric power in the world using a variety of heat sources. Turbine types include: Turbines can also use other heat-transfer liquids than steam. Supercritical carbon dioxide based cycles can provide higher conversion efficiency due to faster heat exchange, higher energy density and simpler power cycle infrastructure. Supercritical carbon dioxide blends , that are currently in development, can further increase efficiency by optimizing its critical pressure and temperature points. Although turbines are most common in commercial power generation, smaller generators can be powered by gasoline or diesel engines . These may used for backup generation or as

2016-511: Is fundamentally the opposite of distributed generation . Distributed generation is the small-scale generation of electricity to smaller groups of consumers. This can also include independently producing electricity by either solar or wind power. In recent years distributed generation as has seen a spark in popularity due to its propensity to use renewable energy generation methods such as rooftop solar . Centralised energy sources are large power plants that produce huge amounts of electricity to

2100-735: Is not freely available in nature, so it must be "produced", transforming other forms of energy to electricity. Production is carried out in power stations , also called "power plants". Electricity is most often generated at a power plant by electromechanical generators , primarily driven by heat engines fueled by combustion or nuclear fission , but also by other means such as the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind. Other energy sources include solar photovoltaics and geothermal power . There are exotic and speculative methods to recover energy, such as proposed fusion reactor designs which aim to directly extract energy from intense magnetic fields generated by fast-moving charged particles generated by

2184-577: Is provided by batteries. Other forms of electricity generation used in niche applications include the triboelectric effect , the piezoelectric effect , the thermoelectric effect , and betavoltaics . Electric generators transform kinetic energy into electricity. This is the most used form for generating electricity based on Faraday's law . It can be seen experimentally by rotating a magnet within closed loops of conducting material, e.g. copper wire. Almost all commercial electrical generation uses electromagnetic induction, in which mechanical energy forces

2268-468: Is rated in megawatt-peak (MW p ), which refers to the solar array's theoretical maximum DC power output. In other countries, the manufacturer states the surface and the efficiency. However, Canada, Japan, Spain, and the United States often specify using the converted lower nominal power output in MW AC , a measure more directly comparable to other forms of power generation. Most solar parks are developed at

2352-429: Is then used to spin turbines that turn generators . Thus chemical energy stored in coal is converted successively into thermal energy , mechanical energy and, finally, electrical energy . Natural gas is ignited to create pressurised gas which is used to spin turbines to generate electricity. Natural gas plants use a gas turbine where natural gas is added along with oxygen which in turn combusts and expands through

2436-589: Is unusual in the United Kingdom for companies to seek damages from protesters. Environmentalist George Monbiot , writing in The Guardian , said EDF was conducting a strategic lawsuit against public participation , "part of a global strategy by corporations to stifle democracy", and predicted the "disastrous unintended consequences of an attempt at censorship" could result in the Streisand effect and be comparable to

2520-731: Is wholly owned by the French state owned EDF ( Électricité de France ) and was formed in January 2002, following the acquisition and mergers of Seeboard plc (formerly the South Eastern Electricity Board), London Electricity plc (formerly the London Electricity Board or LEB), SWEB Energy plc (formerly the South Western Electricity Board) and two coal fired power stations and a combined cycle gas turbine power station. In 2009, EDF took control of

2604-597: The 2007 Rugby World Cup (shared with Peugeot ) EDF was the main sponsor of the Anglo-Welsh Cup – the Rugby Union domestic cup for the twelve clubs in the English Premiership and the four Welsh regions – between 2006 and 2009. In July 2007, EDF was confirmed as another Level One sponsor for London 2012 with exclusive branding rights and Olympic team sponsorship for the 2008, 2010 and 2012 games as well as being

EDF Energy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-524: The McLibel case . The activists received support in the days since the case became public, with over 6,000 signatures on a supportive petition at Change.org within the first day, and over 64,000 by the time EDF dropped their lawsuit on 13 March 2013, saying that this was "a fair and reasonable solution" after the protesters had "agreed in principle to accept a permanent injunction which prevents them from entering multiple sites operated by EDF Energy". Following

2772-647: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would instruct the Nuclear Liabilities Fund to sell up to approximately 450 million shares, representing around 28% of the Fund's interest in British Energy. The Fund's cash sweep percentage would be reduced from around 64% to approximately 36% following the sale. Revenue from the sale was used to diversify the Nuclear Liabilities Fund's assets. On 24 September 2008, it

2856-650: The Three Mile Island accident , Chernobyl disaster and the Fukushima nuclear disaster illustrate this problem. The table lists 45 countries with their total electricity capacities. The data is from 2022. According to the Energy Information Administration , the total global electricity capacity in 2022 was nearly 8.9 terawatt (TW), more than four times the total global electricity capacity in 1981. The global average per-capita electricity capacity

2940-501: The nuclear generator in the United Kingdom, British Energy , buying share capital from the government. This made EDF one of the largest generators in the United Kingdom. The development branch of EDF was formed in April 2004, bringing together the separate infrastructure interests of what were LE Group, Seeboard and SWEB. The focus for the branch is development activity through the participation in major new infrastructure projects, largely in

3024-429: The steam turbine had a massive impact on the efficiency of electrical generation but also the economics of generation as well. This conversion of heat energy into mechanical work was similar to that of steam engines , however at a significantly larger scale and far more productively. The improvements of these large-scale generation plants were critical to the process of centralised generation as they would become vital to

3108-451: The 1218 MW Hornsea Wind Farm in the UK is the largest offshore wind farm in the world . Individual wind turbine designs continue to increase in power , resulting in fewer turbines being needed for the same total output. A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity . Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating

3192-475: The 1880s the popularity of electricity grew massively with the introduction of the Incandescent light bulb . Although there are 22 recognised inventors of the light bulb prior to Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison , Edison and Swan's invention became by far the most successful and popular of all. During the early years of the 19th century, massive jumps in electrical sciences were made. And by the later 19th century

3276-561: The 2,000   MWe Eggborough coal fired station from National Power in 2000, to provide a more flexible power production facility and reduce penalty charge risks from the New Electricity Trading Arrangements introduced in March 2001. Despite this, the new arrangements led to a significantly lower electricity price for inflexible base load power stations such as British Energy had. The purchase of Eggborough occurred at

3360-425: The 31 March 2023. In the period from April 2020 to March 2021, the percentage of electricity generated by EDF from each source was as follows: nuclear – 62.1%, renewable – 29%, gas – 7.5%, coal – 1.3% with average CO 2 intensity of 42 gCO 2 eq/kWh. In 2020, EDF nuclear power plants provided 16.1% of UK total electricity generation, down from 17.3% in 2019. As of 2020 EDF supplied 32.4% of low-carbon energy in

3444-549: The European Commission when agreeing the acquisition of British Energy. At the time of the EDF acquisition, British Energy operated the following power stations: In 2005, British Energy announced a ten-year life extension at Dungeness B, that would see the station continue operating until 2018, and in 2007 announced a five-year life extension of Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B until 2016. Following an outage in 2006 when an increase in creep-induced defect in boiler tubes

EDF Energy - Misplaced Pages Continue

3528-470: The HQ of Scottish Nuclear. In June 1999, in an attempt to become an integrated generating and retail company, British Energy bought the retail electricity and gas supplier SWALEC based in Wales, providing 6% of the England and Wales electricity supply market. However it was unable to purchase another retailer at a reasonable cost to create a widespread retail presence, so sold SWALEC a few months later to Scottish and Southern Energy . British Energy bought

3612-572: The Northern America in the 1920s in large cities and urban areas. It was not until the 1930s that rural areas saw the large-scale establishment of electrification. 2021 world electricity generation by source. Total generation was 28 petawatt-hours . Several fundamental methods exist to convert other forms of energy into electrical energy. Utility-scale generation is achieved by rotating electric generators or by photovoltaic systems. A small proportion of electric power distributed by utilities

3696-745: The United Kingdom. Heysham 1 and Hartlepool will have their life extended by five years until 2024, while Heysham 2 and Torness will see their closure dates pushed back by seven years to 2030. In November 2020 EDF announced Hinkley Point B power station in Somerset will move into the defuelling phase no later than 15 July 2022. As of 2021, EDF owns and operates 37 wind farms including the 59 turbine onshore wind farm at Dorenell in Scotland, and are developing two offshore wind projects at Codling Wind Park in Ireland and Neart na Gaoithe in Scotland. The company have plans for

3780-583: The United States, fossil fuel combustion for electric power generation is responsible for 65% of all emissions of sulfur dioxide , the main component of acid rain. Electricity generation is the fourth highest combined source of NO x , carbon monoxide , and particulate matter in the US. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), low-carbon electricity generation needs to account for 85% of global electrical output by 2040 in order to ward off

3864-508: The ability to store the flow of water is limited and the load varies too much during the annual production cycle. Electric generators were known in simple forms from the discovery of electromagnetic induction in the 1830s. In general, some form of prime mover such as an engine or the turbines described above, drives a rotating magnetic field past stationary coils of wire thereby turning mechanical energy into electricity. The only commercial scale forms of electricity production that do not employ

3948-578: The acquisition of British Energy in 2009, the EDF portfolio includes eight nuclear power stations . They are seven AGR power stations ( Dungeness B ; Hinkley Point B ; Hunterston B ; Hartlepool ; Heysham 1 ; Heysham 2 and Torness ) and one PWR power station ( Sizewell B ), totalling nearly 9,000   MW of installed capacity. In 2007, EDF announced its intention to construct up to four new EPR design reactors; two at Hinkley Point C (currently scheduled to start operation in 2025), two at Sizewell C and Bradwell B . EDF plans to build and operate

4032-589: The acquisition of 11 Scottish wind farm sites from asset manager Partnerships for Renewables, with a potential capacity of 600   MW. In May 2018, EDF Energies Nouvelles bought the Neart na Gaoithe wind farm in Scotland from Irish company Mainstream Renewable Power, following a competitive process. It will produce 450   MW. The farm is planned to go online in 2023. EDF Renewables opened its wind farm in Blyth in July 2018, where

4116-411: The advancement of electrical technology and engineering led to electricity being part of everyday life. With the introduction of many electrical inventions and their implementation into everyday life, the demand for electricity within homes grew dramatically. With this increase in demand, the potential for profit was seen by many entrepreneurs who began investing into electrical systems to eventually create

4200-487: The atmosphere. Nuclear power plants can also create district heating and desalination projects, limiting carbon emissions and the need for expanded electrical output. A fundamental issue regarding centralised generation and the current electrical generation methods in use today is the significant negative environmental effects that many of the generation processes have. Processes such as coal and gas not only release carbon dioxide as they combust, but their extraction from

4284-616: The cost of the panels. Low-efficiency silicon solar cells have been decreasing in cost and multijunction cells with close to 30% conversion efficiency are now commercially available. Over 40% efficiency has been demonstrated in experimental systems. Until recently, photovoltaics were most commonly used in remote sites where there is no access to a commercial power grid, or as a supplemental electricity source for individual homes and businesses. Recent advances in manufacturing efficiency and photovoltaic technology, combined with subsidies driven by environmental concerns, have dramatically accelerated

SECTION 50

#1732869566446

4368-567: The deployment of solar panels. Installed capacity is growing by around 20% per year led by increases in Germany, Japan, United States, China, and India. The selection of electricity production modes and their economic viability varies in accordance with demand and region. The economics vary considerably around the world, resulting in widespread residential selling prices. Hydroelectric plants , nuclear power plants , thermal power plants and renewable sources have their own pros and cons, and selection

4452-533: The electricity through high voltage transmission lines to a substation, where it is then distributed to consumers; the basic concept being that multi-megawatt or gigawatt scale large stations create electricity for a large number of people. The vast majority of electricity used is created from centralised generation. Most centralised power generation comes from large power plants run by fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, though nuclear or large hydroelectricity plants are also commonly used. Centralised generation

4536-517: The entire power system that we now use today. Throughout the middle of the 20th century many utilities began merging their distribution networks due to economic and efficiency benefits. Along with the invention of long-distance power transmission , the coordination of power plants began to form. This system was then secured by regional system operators to ensure stability and reliability. The electrification of homes began in Northern Europe and in

4620-404: The environment. In France only 10% of electricity is generated from fossil fuels , the US is higher at 70% and China is at 80%. The cleanliness of electricity depends on its source. Methane leaks (from natural gas to fuel gas-fired power plants) and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-based electricity generation account for a significant portion of world greenhouse gas emissions . In

4704-428: The first electricity public utilities. This process in history is often described as electrification. The earliest distribution of electricity came from companies operating independently of one another. A consumer would purchase electricity from a producer, and the producer would distribute it through their own power grid. As technology improved so did the productivity and efficiency of its generation. Inventions such as

4788-495: The fusion reaction (see magnetohydrodynamics ). Phasing out coal-fired power stations and eventually gas-fired power stations , or, if practical, capturing their greenhouse gas emissions , is an important part of the energy transformation required to limit climate change . Vastly more solar power and wind power is forecast to be required, with electricity demand increasing strongly with further electrification of transport , homes and industry. However, in 2023, it

4872-420: The generators. Although there are several types of nuclear reactors, all fundamentally use this process. Normal emissions due to nuclear power plants are primarily waste heat and radioactive spent fuel. In a reactor accident, significant amounts of radioisotopes can be released to the environment, posing a long term hazard to life. This hazard has been a continuing concern of environmentalists. Accidents such as

4956-494: The ground also impacts the environment. Open pit coal mines use large areas of land to extract coal and limit the potential for productive land use after the excavation. Natural gas extraction releases large amounts of methane into the atmosphere when extracted from the ground greatly increase global greenhouse gases. Although nuclear power plants do not release carbon dioxide through electricity generation, there are risks associated with nuclear waste and safety concerns associated with

5040-458: The heat input is from the process of nuclear fission . Currently, nuclear power produces 11% of all electricity in the world. Most nuclear reactors use uranium as a source of fuel. In a process called nuclear fission , energy, in the form of heat, is released when nuclear atoms are split. Electricity is created through the use of a nuclear reactor where heat produced by nuclear fission is used to produce steam which in turn spins turbines and powers

5124-566: The individual turbines are connected via 66-kilometre (41 mi) offshore cables to bring the electricity produced onshore. EDF is the "in Association" sponsor of Cheltenham Science Festival and have been supporters of the Big Bang Fair since 2015. EDF has sponsored several shows on ITV , including Soapstar Superstar and City Lights . It also sponsored coverage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany (shared with Budweiser ) and coverage of

SECTION 60

#1732869566446

5208-469: The major contributors being Thomas Alva Edison and Nikola Tesla . Previously the only way to produce electricity was by chemical reactions or using battery cells, and the only practical use of electricity was for the telegraph . Electricity generation at central power stations started in 1882, when a steam engine driving a dynamo at Pearl Street Station produced a DC current that powered public lighting on Pearl Street , New York . The new technology

5292-523: The new company. On 22 September 2004 the UK government's investment of over £3   billion in the restructured firm was approved by the European Commission . On 24 September the company was reclassified as a public body in what the Office for National Statistics described as a reflection of "the control that can be exercised by government over British Energy". This move was described by The Times as

5376-574: The new plants through its subsidiary NNB Generation Company (NNB GenCo). In August 2014, the company announced it had shut down four of its 15 reactors for a period of eight weeks to investigate potential cracking in the boiler spine. In 2015, EDF announced a 10-year life extension for Dungeness B, initially pushing back the closure date until 2028, although it subsequently ceased production and commenced defuelling in June 2021. In February 2016, EDF announced that it would keep four of its nuclear plants open in

5460-695: The official energy provider. In August 2008, EDF formed a partnership with The British Red Cross to help vulnerable people to get support during power failures. In January 2011, EDF took over sponsorship from British Airways of the London Eye , on a three-year deal renaming the London Eye as the EDF Energy London Eye. On 4 January 2008, EDF began advertising on the television through ITV, Channel 4 , Channel 5 and various satellite channels. EDF are using "It's not easy being green" as their slogan to target

5544-637: The operation of the energy market was changed. The British Government's interest in British Energy at this time was managed by the Shareholder Executive on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The restructuring of British Energy was subject to three National Audit Office reports ; in May 1998, February 2004 and March 2006. In 2007, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee reported on

5628-425: The other major large-scale solar generation technology, which uses heat to drive a variety of conventional generator systems. Both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but to date, for a variety of reasons, photovoltaic technology has seen much wider use. As of 2019 , about 97% of utility-scale solar power capacity was PV. In some countries, the nameplate capacity of photovoltaic power stations

5712-571: The peak of the market for power stations, and in 2002, the value of the station was written down by half. In 2001, the company was the major partner in taking on an operating lease to become the operator of Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario, Canada. The resultant subsidiary was called Bruce Power . As part of financial re-structuring, Bruce Power was sold to a consortium of Canadian investors in February 2003. In 2007, British Energy entered into

5796-444: The public sector through public-private partnership (PPP) and private finance initiative (PFI) type schemes. The electricity distribution (or downstream) networks formerly known as EDF Energy Networks were sold in November, 2010 to Hong Kong–based Cheung Kong Group (CKG), owned by billionaire Li Ka Shing . Later, EDF Energy Networks was renamed to UK Power Networks . In December 2014, EDF sold three small UK based wind farms with

5880-408: The restructuring. They noted that the taxpayer had been left to underwrite large liabilities, revalued at £5.3   billion, while creditors who would have received little on liquidation received bonds and shares worth £3.9   billion in 2006. In July 2006, the government announced that they were considering selling part of their interest in British Energy. On 30 May 2007, it was announced that

5964-444: The turbine to force a generator to spin. Natural gas power plants are more efficient than coal power generation, they however contribute to climate change, but not as highly as coal generation. Not only do they produce carbon dioxide from the ignition of natural gas, the extraction of gas when mined releases a significant amount of methane into the atmosphere. Nuclear power plants create electricity through steam turbines where

6048-413: The use of nuclear sources. Per unit of electricity generated coal and gas-fired power life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are almost always at least ten times that of other generation methods. Centralised generation is electricity generation by large-scale centralised facilities, sent through transmission lines to consumers. These facilities are usually located far away from consumers and distribute

6132-461: The whole UK energy mix. EDF Renewables in the UK is a joint venture between EDF Renewables Group and EDF.   In April 2017, EDF Renewable Energy, in a joint venture with EDF, announced the commissioning of the Corriemoillie (47.5   MW), Beck Burn (31   MW) and Pearie Law (19.2   MW) wind farms. Beck Burn was opened in July that year. Also in July 2017, EDF Renewables announced

6216-672: The worst effects of climate change. Like other organizations including the Energy Impact Center (EIC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the IEA has called for the expansion of nuclear and renewable energy to meet that objective. Some, like EIC founder Bret Kugelmass, believe that nuclear power is the primary method for decarbonizing electricity generation because it can also power direct air capture that removes existing carbon emissions from

6300-577: The year to 31 December. On 4 November 2019 EDF announced the acquisition British start up Pivot Power, who specialise in battery storage and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging. EDF acquired a majority stake in Pod Point , one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) charging companies in the UK, in February 2020. On 31 August 2021, EDF announced the sales of its 1332 MW combined cycle gas turbine power station and 49   MW battery at West Burton B to EIG. The UK's nuclear stations, run by EDF, reached

6384-508: Was about 1,120 watts in 2022, nearly two and a half times the global average per-capita electricity capacity in 1981. Iceland has the highest installed capacity per capita in the world, at about 8,990 watts. All developed countries have an average per-capita electricity capacity above the global average per-capita electricity capacity, with the United Kingdom having the lowest average per-capita electricity capacity of all other developed countries. British Energy British Energy

6468-546: Was allowed to borrow up to £700M under the arrangements, with the NLF providing £275M. The British Government also assumed British Energy nuclear fuel liabilities worth between £150M and £200M p.a. over ten years. These fuel liabilities extended until 2086. Despite its financial problems and government help with its fuel liabilities, British Energy's Chief Executive claimed, on 20 June 2006, that nuclear power stations would be economically viable without government guarantee or subsidy if

6552-456: Was announced that Électricité de France (EDF), the state owned French energy company, had agreed a takeover of the company, paying £12.5   billion. Centrica purchased a 20% share of British Energy from EDF in August 2009. On 1 April 2010, EDF transferred the coal-fired Eggborough power station to the plant's bondholders as per an earlier agreement, and in compliance with commitments made to

6636-466: Was concluded with the renaming of the operating company from British Energy Generation Limited to EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited on 1 July 2011. In 2009, the British Energy subsidiary group was structured accordingly: British Energy was established and registered in Scotland in 1995 to operate the eight most modern nuclear power plants in the UK. It took the two Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) plants from Scottish Nuclear and five AGR and

6720-583: Was founded as a merger of Distribution Network Operators but has since divested from this area of work in November, 2010 to Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Group (CKG), owned by billionaire Li Ka Shing. The DSO of EDF Energy Networks was renamed to UK Power Networks. EDG is now an energy generator and supplier. EDF's main offices are located in London , [], Exeter , Sunderland , Hove and Barnwood in Gloucester. Electricity generation Consumable electricity

6804-407: Was observed, Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B were restricted to about 70% of normal output from 2007 and operated at reduced boiler outlet temperatures. After recovery, operation at 80% of the nominal output was allowed. In December 2009, it was announced that new stations would be built at existing land owned around Sizewell and Hinkley Point stations. Dungeness was considered but was thought to be

6888-497: Was quickly adopted by many cities around the world, which adapted their gas-fueled street lights to electric power. Soon after electric lights would be used in public buildings, in businesses, and to power public transport, such as trams and trains. The first power plants used water power or coal. Today a variety of energy sources are used, such as coal , nuclear , natural gas , hydroelectric , wind , and oil , as well as solar energy , tidal power , and geothermal sources. In

6972-409: Was reported that the global electricity supply was approaching peak CO2 emissions thanks to the growth of solar and wind power. The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered in the 1820s and early 1830s by British scientist Michael Faraday . His method, still used today, is for electricity to be generated by the movement of a loop of wire, or Faraday disc , between the poles of

7056-451: Was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France (EDF) in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal-fired power station. From 1 July 2010 the rebranding of British Energy locations and communications to EDF Energy commenced as part of its incorporation into the parent group, following around 17 months of dual branding. This

#445554