COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 221113

Electric Power Generation, Nuclear

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

25companies1883–2000founding years25still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedWPS Resources Corporation
1883
FoundedRWE AG
1898
FoundedExelon Corporation
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedEdison International
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedPNM Resources Inc.
1917
FoundedPPL Corporation
1920
FoundedGreat Plains Energy Incorporated
1922
FoundedFPL Group, Inc.
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedTennessee Valley Authority
1933
FoundedBonneville Power Administration
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedNebraska Public Power District
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedThe Southern Company
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedEntergy Corporation
1949
FoundedHokkaido Electric Power Company Inc. (HEPCO)FoundedShikoku Electric Power Company, Inc.FoundedThe Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc.
1951
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedBritish Energy Plc
1996
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedFortum Corporation
1998
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

WPS Resources Corporation →
Active · founded 1883
WPS Resources Corporation (WPSR) was created in 1993 to act as a utilities holding company.
RWE AG →
Active · founded 1898 · Germany
RWE AG is the holding company for the dominant electricity producer in Germany: RWE Group.
Exelon Corporation →
Active · founded 1902
Exelon Corporation was formed from the 2000 merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom Corporation.
Unicom Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Unicom Corporation was created in 1994 as a holding company for The Commonwealth Edison Co., Inc.
Edison International →
Active · founded 1909
Edison International, formerly known as SCEcorp, acts as a holding company for Southern California Edison, one of the…
PNM Resources Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
PNM Resources Inc.
PPL Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
PPL Corporation operates as an international energy company providing electricity and natural gas to more than 1.4…
Ameren Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Ameren Corporation provides a variety of energy services to over 2.2 million customers in Missouri and Illinois with a…
Great Plains Energy Incorporated →
Active · founded 1922
Great Plains Energy Incorporated is the holding company for Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCPL), which serves both…
FPL Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Early 1980s:FP&L begins new management style inspired by Japanese practices.
VEW AG →
Active · founded 1925 · Germany
VEW AG is one of Germany's leading utility companies and is active throughout Europe.
Tennessee Valley Authority →
Active · founded 1933
Established by the U.S.
Bonneville Power Administration →
Active · founded 1937
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a United States federal agency created in 1937 by the Roosevelt administration…
Nebraska Public Power District →
Active · founded 1940
The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) generates and distributes electricity to about one million Nebraskans in 91…
McDermott International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
McDermott International, Inc.
The Southern Company →
Active · founded 1947
The Southern Company is a utility holding company whose principal subsidiaries provide power in Alabama, Georgia,…
Entergy Corporation →
Active · founded 1949
Entergy Corporation is a holding company for utilities that supply electrical energy to over 2.5 million customers in…
Chugoku Electric Power Company Inc. →
Active · founded 1951 · Japan
The Chugoku Electric Power Company Inc.
Hokkaido Electric Power Company Inc. (HEPCO) →
Active · founded 1951 · Japan
Hokkaido Electric Power Company Inc.
Shikoku Electric Power Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951 · Japan
Shikoku Electric Power Company, Inc.
The Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951 · Japan
The Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc.
RAO Unified Energy System of Russia →
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
RAO Unified Energy System of Russia (UES) is one of the two largest companies in Russia.
British Energy Plc →
Active · founded 1996 · United Kingdom
British Energy Plc, in addition to being the United Kingdom's largest power generator (by producing more than 20…
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
E.On AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
E.On AG is the largest listed power generation company in Europe.
Build It Today

Starting a electric power generation, nuclear company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.