The companies making up Energy Future Holdings, previously TXU Corp., have a rich heritage of serving Texas's power needs in a history that stretches all the way back to 1882 when the first electric light brightened the North Texas night. We are proud of our commitment to service and the role we have played in the economic, civic and cultural development of the state. Here is a brief historical timeline of the EFH companies and TXU Corp.
1879
- Thomas Edison invents the first practical incandescent light bulb
1882
- Dallas gets electric lights, provided by the new Dallas Electric Lighting Company, an indirect TXU predecessor; TXU Corp. was renamed Energy Future Holdings Corp. in 2007
1885
- Fort Worth gets electric lights, provided by Fort Worth Electric Light and Power Company, an indirect TXU predecessor
1912
- Texas Power & Light Company, direct forerunner of TXU, formed from the consolidation of 13 electric companies brought together by Electric Bond and Share Company, a subsidiary of General Electric Company; TP&L serves much of North Central and East Texas and several counties west of Fort Worth
1913
- First high-voltage line in Texas, constructed by TP&L
1917
- Dallas Power & Light Company, direct forerunner of TXU, formed by Electric Bond and Share; DP&L serves the city of Dallas area
1926
- Trinidad Unit 1 comes on line, only lignite plant in Texas and biggest in U.S. using lignite exclusively
1929
- Texas Electric Service Company, direct forerunner of TXU, formed by Electric Bond and Share; TESCO serves Fort Worth and areas west of Abilene
1932
- Transmission network connecting three companies essentially complete
1935
- Wheeler-Rayburn Public Utility Holding Company Act passed, allowing utilities serving integrated, contiguous territories to form a holding company
1945
- Texas Utilities Company formed Sept. 4, 1945, formalizing the historic and traditional bonds connecting TP&L, DP&L and TESCO in a new holding company for the three utilities
1946
- TESCO hires consultants to study water-resource-development plan for West Texas
1947
- For the first time, air conditioning establishes System as summer peaking, rather than winter peaking
1948
- Handley Unit 1, the industry's first outdoor generator, comes on line (sold in 2001)
1951
- Three companies' common stock consolidation completed
1952
- Generating subsidiary formed to mine lignite and operate an early lignite plant that was built to serve an Alcoa aluminum facility in Rockdale in Central Texas
1953
- System installs its first boiler-turbine-generator control board, on Parkdale Unit 2
1954
- Lignite used to provide electricity for aluminum production for the first time, at Alcoa's Rockdale smelter
1963
- First 345-kV transmission interconnection in Texas completed, linking Dallas and Houston
1968
- Joint lignite program begins, adding 10 new generating units and six million kilowatts
1971
- Big Brown Unit 1 in Fairfield comes on line, first of the modern lignite units
- Environmental Research Center established at Big Brown
1974
- Comanche Peak nuclear plant construction begins
1975
- Texas Public Regulatory Act passed, creating the Public Utility Commission of Texas, bringing rates and service under state regulation
1976
- System begins A-OK Program, first cash-incentive program in the nation to encourage energy efficiency
1978
- Federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act passed, opening the door to competition in the electric utility industry from cogenerators and other nonutility producers
- System receives Edison Award, the industry's highest tribute, for its lignite program
1983
- System begins Energy Aid program for those needing assistance paying energy bills
1984
- DP&L, TESCO, TP&L and the generating company merge as divisions of a new principal subsidiary, Texas Utilities Electric Company
1987
- Texas Utilities Electric Company, still the legal name, becomes known to the public as TU Electric
1988
- System installs first combustion turbines
1990
- Comanche Peak Unit 1 begins commercial operation
1992
- Federal Energy Policy Act passed, making competition at the wholesale level inevitable by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the authority to require transmission-system access, or wheeling, for wholesale transactions
1993
- Comanche Peak Unit 2 begins commercial operation, ending 20 years of major power plant additions
- Southwestern Electric Service Company (SESCO), electric distribution company in East Texas, acquired
1994
- Texas Utilities Company celebrates 50 years as a corporation
1995
- Eastern Energy Limited (TXU Australia), electric distribution company, acquired
- Twenty percent interest in PCS PrimeCo (Texas), a wireless digital communications service, acquired
- Texas legislature enacts wholesale competition for electric utilities
1997
- Acquisition of ENSERCH Corp., natural gas transmission and distribution company, completed
- Lufkin-Conroe Communications Company, a rural telephone company near Houston, acquired
1998
- The Energy Group acquired as the UK begins privatizing its electric and natural gas utilities; it becomes TXU Europe
1999
- TXU becomes the new name and brand identity for the enterprise, positioning it as a multinational energy company; "Go, world. Go!" becomes its advertising slogan
- Texas legislature passes landmark electricity industry restructuring bill
- PCS PrimeCo divested
2000
- TXU structurally separates the energy delivery and competitive energy businesses, consistent with regional regulatory environment
- Texas Electric Choice Pilot Program begins in June, allowing TXU and other electric providers a chance to test systems and procedures in ramp-up to full competition
- Fort Bend Communications, southeast Texas phone company, acquired; Pinnacle One telecommunications joint venture formed
2001
- TXU completes its transition to competitive electricity markets on three continents, fully implementing its strategy and business model
- Structural separation of the energy delivery and competitive energy businesses complete
- Texas energy delivery business renamed and rebranded as "Oncor" (becoming "TXU Electric Delivery" in 2004)
2002
- Texas electricity markets open to competition on Jan. 1, with PTB in incumbent territories to further competition
- TXU Europe fails, U.K. business sold, TXU Europe becomes discontinued operation as TXU Corp. exits Europe
- TXU begins survival plan: board cuts dividend 80 percent, financing actions completed to shore up liquidity, strengthen credit and cut debt
2004
- First external chief executive in TXU's history hired to turn around the company
- TXU exits telecommunications business
- Turnaround plan announced, including reshaping to focus on core Texas electric businesses
- TXU Australia, TXU Fuel and TXU Gas sold
- Investment in communities enhanced, with fourfold, $15 million increase in TXU Energy Aid
- Formation of Capgemini Energy partnership and back-office outsourcing arrangement announced
2005
- TXU launches the power industry's first loyalty program, TXU Energy Rewards+
- Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast, spurring an unprecedented response from TXU
- TXU and CURRENT Communications agree to create the nation's first multipurpose smart grid
- TXU announces intention to build three new coal units, Oak Grove and Sandow 5
2006
- TXU announces plan to build 16-23 GW of new advanced power plant technologies in various national markets, including 9.1 GW of coal generation in Texas
- TXU begins work on applications for 2-6 GW of additional nuclear capacity
2007
- Transition to electricity competition fully complete as PTB expires
- TXU to set new direction as a private company with execution of a definitive merger agreement with an investor group led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., TPG and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners
- Planned Texas coal generation units reduced from 11 to three with TXU's commitment to a stronger environmental policy
- TXU Electric Delivery rebranded as "Oncor," as implementation of a plan to further separate the subsidiaries into three distinct businesses
- TXU's power generation and related businesses adopt "Luminant" as new brand
- TXU enters a new era as Energy Future Holdings Corp. with completion of the private-equity acquisition
- TXU common stock de-listed from the NYSE and other exchanges
2008
- John Young becomes first President and CEO of Energy Future Holdings Corp.
- EFH announces the formation of the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) comprised of individuals who represent the following interests: the environment, customers, Texas economic development, and reliability/technology