SEEBOARD, formerly South Eastern Electricity Board (SEEB), was a British electricity company. The electrical power industry in the United Kingdom was nationalised by the Electricity Act 1947, when over 600 electric power companies were merged into twelve Area Boards, one of which was the South Eastern Electricity Board. It acquired the former Princes Hotel on the seafront in Hove, East Sussex, and converted it into its headquarters. The building was refurbished and substantially extended between 1979 and 1981.[1]
On March 31, 1990, the Area Electricity Boards were changed to independent Regional Electricity Companies (REC), and SEEBOARD plc was formed.[2] On December 11, 1990 the RECs were privatised. The Hove headquarters was closed in 1994, but some jobs were transferred to a nearby SEEBOARD office in Portslade.[2]
Seeboard Powerlink, a company owned by SEEBOARD, BICC and ABB, was awarded (13 Aug 1998)a 30-year contract to operate, maintain, finance and renew London Underground's high-voltage power distribution network, under the terms of the UK government's private finance initiative. Seeboard Powerlink became responsible for distribution of high-voltage electricity supplies to London Underground's 270 stations and more than 400 kilometres of track. The contract included significant capital construction and installation works on the LUL power system valued at approximately £100 million.
SEEBOARD was later bought by EDF Energy and merged with London Electricity and SWEB Energy (formerly the South Western Electricity Board) as EDF Energy, the UK branch of Électricité de France. The SEEBOARD brand was eventually discontinued on 5 June 2006, along with the London Electricity and SWEB Energy brands following the launch of single, national identity.
References
- ^ Middleton 2003, Vol. 13, p. 29.
- ^ a b Middleton 2003, Vol. 13, p. 30.