Story perspectives

Burnham Launches Great British Grid to Expand Connections

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 6:26 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Andy Burnham announced the publicly owned Great British Grid electricity-grid investment company.
Great British Grid will be funded from GB Energy’s existing state-backed green investment budget.
The new firm will compete with the three private grid owners to accelerate connections and lower costs.
Burnham said the plan aims to align UK energy costs with other European nations within ten years.

History

Historical Context

The post-war Attlee government passed the Electricity Act 1947, which on 1 April 1948 vested more than 600 private power companies in the newly formed British Electricity Authority and 14 area boards, standardising supply across Britain. That state-run model inspired Andy Burnham’s Great British Grid, a publicly owned venture that seeks to challenge the private National Grid and lower electricity prices today.

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Story summary

Andy Burnham announced the publicly owned Great British Grid electricity-grid investment company.
Great British Grid will be funded from GB Energy’s existing state-backed green investment budget.
The new firm will compete with the three private grid owners to accelerate connections and lower costs.
Burnham said the plan aims to align UK energy costs with other European nations within ten years.

1 / 2