Short answer
British Energy no longer exists as a separate company.
EDF acquired British Energy in 2009 and folded its eight nuclear power stations into EDF Energy. The British Energy brand was wound down. If you think British Energy is still your supplier, it has been EDF for over a decade. If your power is off, the right number is 105, not any historical supplier.
What British Energy was
British Energy was created out of the privatisation of the UK's nuclear power stations in the 1990s. It generated and sold electricity wholesale and to large industrial users. It was never the kind of company that knocked on doors to sell tariffs to households.
Eight nuclear power stations
British Energy owned the fleet of advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) built in the 1970s and 80s, plus the one modern pressurised-water reactor at Sizewell B. Together they produced roughly a fifth of UK electricity.
Generator, not retail supplier
British Energy sold its output to wholesale markets and to large industrial customers. It never operated a mass-market domestic supply business of the sort run today by British Gas, Octopus or EDF Energy. Most UK households never had a direct billing relationship with British Energy.
What happened to British Energy
British Energy ran into financial trouble in the early 2000s after falling wholesale prices and rising costs left it unable to cover its decommissioning liabilities. The government restructured the company and, in 2009, EDF acquired it.
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2002: Government rescue
After a wholesale-price slump and a halt to one of its reactors, British Energy ran out of cash. The UK government stepped in with a financial restructuring that left taxpayers carrying part of the long-term liabilities for spent fuel and decommissioning.
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2009: Acquired by EDF
EDF Energy completed its acquisition of British Energy. The eight nuclear power stations were absorbed into EDF's UK nuclear business. The British Energy brand was retained briefly, then phased out.
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2010s onwards: Reactor closures and new build
EDF has progressively closed the older AGRs as they reach the end of their useful life (Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B, Dungeness B and others). At the same time, EDF is building the UK's first new nuclear station in a generation, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, with Sizewell C in development.
Who runs UK nuclear power today
The British Energy fleet sits inside EDF's UK nuclear business, alongside the more modern Sizewell B station. UK nuclear policy now revolves around three questions: how long to keep the surviving AGRs running, how much new generation Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will eventually deliver, and what role small modular reactors might play.
EDF Energy
Operates every commercial nuclear station in the UK, including the former British Energy fleet, Sizewell B, and the future Hinkley Point C.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Handles the long-term decommissioning of older nuclear sites that were not part of the privatised fleet. It is a government body, funded from general taxation and from levies on the industry.
Great British Nuclear
A government body set up to back the next wave of UK reactors, including potential small modular reactors. It runs competitions to select developers and is part of the wider UK push to lift the nuclear share of generation over time.
British Energy: frequently asked questions
No. British Energy stopped being a retail supplier when it merged into EDF, and the brand itself was wound down. If you want low-carbon electricity (nuclear plus renewables) you can compare current UK suppliers, including EDF, on a Selectra or Ofgem-approved switching site.
Historic supply contracts with British Energy transferred to EDF when EDF bought the company in 2009. Any bill, refund or account query relating to British Energy as a supplier is now EDF's responsibility. Look up your account via the EDF Energy website or its customer service line.
No, completely different companies. British Gas is a retail supplier of gas and electricity to UK households, part of the Centrica group. British Energy was a nuclear generator: it never sold gas, and it sold electricity wholesale and to large industrial customers rather than running a mass-market household business.
The fleet British Energy used to own (Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B, Heysham, Hartlepool, Torness, Dungeness B) sits inside EDF's UK nuclear business. Most of those stations have now closed at the end of their useful life. The Sizewell B reactor, also EDF-operated, is the UK's only modern pressurised-water reactor. Hinkley Point C is under construction in Somerset.
Some of it does, but you cannot pick. Once electricity reaches the grid it is mixed: every UK kWh contains a blend of gas, wind, nuclear, solar, biomass and imports. "100% renewable" or "low-carbon" tariffs are accounting matches via REGO certificates, not a direct physical link to a specific power station.