UK electricity, gas and energy supply companies in numbers (October 2026)
Key figures compared with the UK
| Measure | This sector | All UK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active companies | 16,516 | 5,166,057 | 0.3% of UK |
| Median company age (years) | 7.5 | 5.6 | 34% higher |
| Incorporated in the last 3 years | 22.5% | 34.0% | 11.5 pts lower |
| Filing micro-entity accounts | 19.8% | 32.4% | 12.6 pts lower |
| Filing dormant accounts | 11.8% | 10.8% | close to UK |
| Accounts overdue | 5.8% | 1.8% | 4.0 pts higher |
| Under a proposal to strike off | 5.3% | 7.4% | 2.1 pts lower |
| In liquidation, administration or receivership | 2.1% | 2.0% | close to UK |
| With outstanding charges (secured lending) | 21.4% | 12.1% | 9.3 pts higher |
| Median net assets | £2,499 | £3,113 | 20% lower |
| Negative net assets | 23.4% | 18.8% | 4.6 pts higher |
| Net current liabilities | 37.4% | 36.2% | close to UK |
| Median cash at bank | £25k | £10k | 152% higher |
| Cash covers creditors due within a year | 32.1% | 35.3% | close to UK |
| Holding £100k or more in cash | 30.9% | 20.3% | 10.6 pts higher |
| Median employees (where stated) | 1 | 1 | close to UK |
Balance sheet measures use each active company's most recent machine-readable (iXBRL) accounts with a period ending in 2024 or later: 9,757 companies here (59.1% of active). Net assets 25th to 75th percentile: £1 to £134k. Cash 25th to 75th percentile: £977 to £155k.
What the numbers say
Energy supply is dominated by one kind of company: 11,006 of the live companies in this section, about two in three, are classified under 35110 production of electricity. Many of these are likely special purpose vehicles that own a single solar farm, wind turbine or battery site, and that shapes most of the figures.
Project vehicles are usually funded with project finance and shareholder loans, so lenders take security over the site and equipment. That fits the charges figure: 21.4% of active companies have outstanding charges, against 12.1% for the UK. Heavy upfront debt and depreciation in the early years of a project also push equity below zero, which partly explains why 23.4% report negative net assets, against 18.8%. Here a negative balance sheet often reflects how a project was funded rather than trading trouble; it is a warning sign, not proof of insolvency (see negative net assets).
The trend has stayed high rather than rising. The share with negative net assets was 22.9% for financial years ending in 2014 and 22.3% in 2025, while the UK figure climbed from 16.4% to 18.6%. The gap has narrowed, but energy remains above the national level.
Filing is weaker than average. 5.8% are overdue with their accounts (UK 1.8%, see overdue accounts data), and only 59.1% have machine-readable financial figures available. Only 19.8% file micro-entity accounts, against 32.4%, which suggests many are subsidiaries in larger groups preparing fuller accounts, which take longer.
New entry is slower than average: only 22.5% were incorporated in the last three years, against 34%. Median cash is £25,481 against £10,127, and the median current ratio is 1.30. Compare with mining and quarrying, and use how to check a UK company before signing a supply or investment agreement.
Share with negative net assets, 2014 to 2025
Share of accounts with net liabilities (total liabilities larger than total assets) by financial year end, for companies on the live register. Dissolved companies are not included because the register no longer lists their industry, so earlier years show survivors. Negative net assets is a warning sign, not proof of insolvency: see what negative net assets means.
Accounts types filed
| Type of last accounts | Share here | Share UK |
|---|---|---|
| Total exemption full | 23.2% | 23.8% |
| Micro-entity | 19.8% | 32.4% |
| No accounts filed yet | 13.4% | 26.0% |
| Dormant | 11.8% | 10.8% |
| Small | 10.7% | 1.2% |
| Full (audited) | 9.4% | 1.5% |
| Audit exemption subsidiary | 7.5% | 0.7% |
| Unaudited abridged | 2.5% | 2.9% |
The type shows how much a company has to disclose. Micro-entity and abridged accounts contain no profit and loss account on the public record. Read more about accounts categories and micro-entities.
Active companies by year of incorporation
Companies incorporated in each year that are still active today. Younger cohorts are larger partly because older ones have been dissolved.
Most common activity codes
| SIC | Activity | Live companies |
|---|---|---|
| 35110 | Production of electricity | 11,006 |
| 35140 | Trade of electricity | 2,505 |
| 35300 | Steam and air conditioning supply | 1,801 |
| 35130 | Distribution of electricity | 995 |
| 35120 | Transmission of electricity | 478 |
| 35230 | Trade of gas through mains | 373 |
| 35210 | Manufacture of gas | 353 |
| 35220 | Distribution of gaseous fuels through mains | 334 |
Methodology
Industry is the first SIC code each company declares on the Companies House register (snapshot 1 October 2026); the dormant placeholder 99999 is excluded. Status, accounts type and due dates come from the register. Financial measures come from our parse of 37 million iXBRL accounts filed since 2008; values above £100bn are treated as extraction errors. Companies filing paper or PDF accounts are not in the balance sheet figures. Full details: methodology.
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