The story
EDF Energy Customers (trading as EDF) 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), Virgin Energy, two coal fired power stations and a combined cycle gas turbine power station. The new group was initially led by MD John Kinsey and Marketing and Sales Director Gary Tubb, both from Virgin Energy.
In 2009, EDF took control of 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 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 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 fallen by 16.5% to £691 million in 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.
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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 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.
No Dash For Gas action
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 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 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".
From Wikipedia’s article on EDF Energy, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5