Page "Scottish Power" Paragraph 2

ScottishPower was formed in 1990, in preparation for the privatisation of the previously state owned Scottish electricity industry the following year.

Previously the UK government had privatised the English and Welsh electricity industry by splitting the market into 12 regional electricity companies ( RECs ) and two power generators.

However in Scotland, the industry was already organised on an integrated generation, distribution and supply basis, and this integration survived the privatisation to become a model for the rest of the United Kingdom.

Scottish Power was largely formed from the larger of the two Scottish electricity boards, the South of Scotland Electricity Board, whilst the other, the North of Scotland Hydro Board, eventually became part of the Scottish and Southern Energy Group ( the nuclear power stations in Scotland were spun off into a third company, Scottish Nuclear, which was not sold off with Scottish Power and Scottish Hydro Electric, but was sold later as part of British Energy ).