COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 4911

Electrical Services

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

42companies1886–1998founding years40still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBoston Edison Company
1886
FoundedHongkong Electric Holdings Ltd.
1889
FoundedHawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.
1891
FoundedDTE Energy Company
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedConnecticut Light and Power Co.FoundedDuke Energy Corporation
1905
FoundedPacifiCorp
1910
FoundedSouthwestern Electric Power Co.FoundedUtah Power and Light Company
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedIdaho Power Company
1915
FoundedBayernwerk AG
1921
FoundedCarolina Power & Light Company
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedBlack Hills Corporation
1941
FoundedTexas Utilities Company
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMontedison S.p.A.
1966
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.
FoundedCogentrix Energy, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedCMS Energy Corporation
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedOrkla A/S
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.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
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

Boston Edison Company →
Active · founded 1886
Boston Edison Company is a regulated public utility that provides electricity to the Boston area.
Boston Edison Company →
Active · founded 1886
Boston Edison Company is a regulated public utility that provides electricity to the Boston area.
Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd. →
Active · founded 1889 · Hong Kong
Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd.
Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd. →
Active · founded 1889 · Hong Kong
Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd.
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1891
Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI) is a diversified electric utility holding company formed in 1983.
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1891
Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI) is a diversified electric utility holding company formed in 1983.
DTE Energy Company →
Active · founded 1903
DTE Energy Company serves roughly 2 million electrical customers in southeastern Michigan.
DTE Energy Company →
Active · founded 1903
DTE Energy Company serves roughly 2 million electrical customers in southeastern Michigan.
Connecticut Light and Power Co. →
Active · founded 1905
Going into the mid-1990s, Connecticut Light and Power Co.
Connecticut Light and Power Co. →
Active · founded 1905
Going into the mid-1990s, Connecticut Light and Power Co.
Duke Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The largest publicly owned gas and electric utility in the United States, Duke Energy Corporation serves roughly two…
Duke Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The largest publicly owned gas and electric utility in the United States, Duke Energy Corporation serves roughly two…
Otter Tail Power Company →
Active · founded 1907
Otter Tail Power Company, an investor-owned electric utility, serves a 50,000-square-mile territory in western…
Otter Tail Power Company →
Active · founded 1907
Otter Tail Power Company, an investor-owned electric utility, serves a 50,000-square-mile territory in western…
PacifiCorp →
Active · founded 1910
Owner of Pacific Power & Light, Utah Power & Light, and the Australian utility Powercor, PacifiCorp is one of the…
PacifiCorp →
Active · founded 1910
Owner of Pacific Power & Light, Utah Power & Light, and the Australian utility Powercor, PacifiCorp is one of the…
Southwestern Electric Power Co. →
Active · founded 1912
Southwestern Electric Power Co.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. →
Active · founded 1912
Southwestern Electric Power Co.
Utah Power and Light Company →
Active · founded 1912
Utah Power and Light Company (UP&L) is the major provider of electrical power in Utah and the Intermountain West.
Utah Power and Light Company →
Active · founded 1912
Utah Power and Light Company (UP&L) is the major provider of electrical power in Utah and the Intermountain West.
Idaho Power Company →
Active · founded 1915
Providing power to southern Idaho for much of the twentieth century, Idaho Power Company propelled the progress of the…
Idaho Power Company →
Active · founded 1915
Providing power to southern Idaho for much of the twentieth century, Idaho Power Company propelled the progress of the…
Bayernwerk AG →
Active · founded 1921 · Federal Republic of Germany
Bayernwerk AG is the largest electricity supplier in Bavaria and one of the largest in Germany.
Bayernwerk AG →
Active · founded 1921 · Federal Republic of Germany
Bayernwerk AG is the largest electricity supplier in Bavaria and one of the largest in Germany.
Carolina Power & Light Company →
Active · founded 1926
Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L) supplies electricity to over a million customers in eastern and western North…
Carolina Power & Light Company →
Active · founded 1926
Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L) supplies electricity to over a million customers in eastern and western North…
Nevada Power Company →
Active · founded 1929
One of the fastest growing electric utilities in the United States, Nevada Power Company provided electric service to…
Nevada Power Company →
Active · founded 1929
One of the fastest growing electric utilities in the United States, Nevada Power Company provided electric service to…
Black Hills Corporation →
Active · founded 1941
A public utility holding company, Black Hills Corporation is involved in three principal businesses: electric utility…
Black Hills Corporation →
Active · founded 1941
A public utility holding company, Black Hills Corporation is involved in three principal businesses: electric utility…
Texas Utilities Company →
Active · founded 1945
Texas Utilities Company is a holding company with six wholly owned subsidiaries, the largest of which is Texas…
Texas Utilities Company →
Active · founded 1945
Texas Utilities Company is a holding company with six wholly owned subsidiaries, the largest of which is Texas…
Montedison S.p.A. →
Defunct · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Montedison S.p.A. →
Defunct · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Cogentrix Energy, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
One of the largest independent producers of energy in the United States, Cogentrix Energy, Inc.
Cogentrix Energy, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
One of the largest independent producers of energy in the United States, Cogentrix Energy, Inc.
CMS Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
CMS Energy Corporation is a diversified energy company with businesses engaged in electric and gas utility operations.
CMS Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
CMS Energy Corporation is a diversified energy company with businesses engaged in electric and gas utility operations.
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Sempra Energy →
Active · founded 1998
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company which was formed by the 1998 merger of Pacific…
Sempra Energy →
Active · founded 1998
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company which was formed by the 1998 merger of Pacific…
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