The Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) has made a very substantial contribution to the development of NDT in the UK. Many of the features we now know in the heavy industrial NDT sector have resulted from development work, initiatives and problem solving arising from the ESI. The work was fuelled by a large power station building programme and a nationalised industry which placed great store in science, engineering and technology. But a great change came in the mid-1980s. An economic recession stopped the plant building programme and privatisation split the industry The ESI is now having to learn to live in a new world. This paper gives a brief history of these events, describes the current situation within the ESI and reviews future challenges.
