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From: prd@pauldormer.cix.co.uk (Paul Dormer)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Re: Independence Day
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2024 11:52 +0100 (BST)
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In article <v7up33$2gfv2$1@dont-email.me>, garym@mcgath.com (Gary McGath)
wrote:

> The word "national" occurs in many business names in the US, and it 
> denotes only ambition, not size or distribution. The US power 
> supplier National Grid operates only in the Northeast.

And National Grid US is so called because it is owned by National Grid
plc in the UK.

It's 20 years since I worked for the Grid and I had to go back to check,
but National Grid plc owns the grid infrastructure in England and Wales.
Two other companies own the grid infrastructure in Scotland but National
Grid plc still controls it.

The Wikipedia article on the National Grid refers to the control centre
at St. Catherine's Lodge, near Wokingham.  I worked there for a couple of
years and there was obviously a bit of confusion about the place with the
local population due to the security there.  In summer, I used to walk
back to Wokingham station and had to cross a football field.  Some local
lads were having a kick-about and one shouted at me, "You work at St.
Catherine's Lodge, don't you.  What do they really do there?  We know
it's not electricity"

However, there was a secret emergency control centre not far away.  The
company headquarters were in Coventry and people from headquarters often
took the train to nearby Reading and then got a taxi.  On one occasion, a
grid high-up got in a taxi and asked for the National Grid.

"Do you want the main one in Wokingham?" he was asked, "Or the secret one
no-one knows about?"