The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s.

Because of its origins in the immediate post-war period, when electricity demand grew rapidly but plant and fuel availability was often unreliable, most of the industry saw its mission as to provide an adequate and secure electricity supply, or "to keep the lights on" as they put it, rather than necessarily pursuing the cheapest generation route.

The CEGB was created from the Central Electricity Authority

Central Electricity Authority (UK)

The Central Electricity Authority was a body that ran the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1954 and 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority as a result of the Electricity Reorganisation Act 1954, which moved responsibility for Scottish electricity...

 (which in turn had replaced the British Electricity Authority

British Electricity Authority

The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947...

) in 1957.