The 12 Gas Boards
after 1948
Easington Gas Terminal
The Gas Act of 1948 took the gas industry into a new era.
The 1,064 local gas undertakings were vested in twelve Area Gas Boards, each an autonomous body with its own chairman and Board structure.
The Gas Council was also established to act as a liaison between the Area Boards and the Ministry of Fuel and Power, though the Council had no direct powers over the Boards. The Gas Council was made up of the twelve Area Board Chairmen and had a chairman of its own.
Each Area Board divided its region into geographical groups or divisions which were often further divided into smaller districts. The boundaries of these groups were changed frequently and several divisional reorganisations took place during the 1950‘s and 1960‘s.
During the 1960‘s technical advances were made within the industry and the first imported liquified natural gas appeared.
In 1962 the first surveys of the North Sea took place and by 1967 North Sea gas was being brought ashore at Easington terminal.
This year also saw the beginning of the ten year national conversion programme which involved the physical conversion of every appliance in the country from towns gas to natural gas.
