Barrow-in-Furness power station

For the more recent power station within the suburb of Roose, see Roosecote Power Station.

Barrow-in-Furness power station
Country	England, United Kingdom
Location	Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire
Coordinates	54°06′59″N03°13′19″W / 54.11639°N 3.22194°W / 54.11639; -3.22194
Status	Decommissioned and demolished
Construction began	1896
Commission date	1899
Decommission date	1960
Owners	Barrow-in-Furness Corporation (1899–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1963)
Operator	As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Secondary fuel	Water (Coniston hydro-electric)
Turbine technology	Steam driven reciprocating engines and steam turbines
Cooling towers	4
Power generation
Units operational	(See text)
Nameplate capacity	23 MW (1958)
Annual net output	63.9 GWh (1954)

Barrow-in-Furness power station supplied electricity to the town of Barrow-in-Furness and the wider area of Lancashire, England from 1899 to about 1960. It was owned and operated by Barrow-in-Furness Corporation until the nationalisation of the UK electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped throughout its operational life. Barrow-in-Furness Corporation also operated Coniston hydro-electric power station.

History

In 1894 Barrow-in-Furness Corporation applied for a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the town. The Barrow-in-Furness Corporation Electric Lighting Order 1894 was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 1) Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. xlix). ^[1] The power station was built in Buccleugh Street ( 54°06′59″N3°13′19″W / 54.11639°N 3.22194°W / 54.11639; -3.22194 ) adjacent to the railway line, it first supplied electricity to the town in 1899. ^[1]

Coniston power station was developed as a small hydro-electric plant in 1932 with a single water turbine, a second turbine was added in 1937. The installation initially supplied power for Barrow County Council and latterly for the village of Coniston. ^[2]

The 120 MW Roosecote power station east of the town centre was first commissioned in September 1953. This was more efficient than the old Barrow power station which was gradually run-down and decommissioned in about 1960. ^[3]

Equipment specification

In 1923 the steam generating plant at Barrow comprised: ^[4]

• Coal-fired boilers generating up to 112,000 lb/h (14.11 kg/s) of steam, these supplied steam to:
• Generators
  • 3 × 75 kW reciprocating engines driving direct current (DC) generators
  • 2 × 150 kW reciprocating engines driving DC generators
  • 2 × 250 kW reciprocating engines driving DC generators
  • 1 × 1,000 kW steam turbo-alternator
  • 1 × 2,000 kW steam turbo-alternator
  • 1 × 3,000 kW steam turbo-alternator

These machines had a total generating capacity of 8,000 kW of alternating current and 1,025 kW direct current. ^[4]

A variety of electricity supplies were available to consumers:

• 3-phase, 50 Hz AC at 6,300 Volts, 380 V and 220 V.
• Direct current at 500, 440 and 220 Volts.

Coal could be delivered to the station from a siding off the railway just south of Barrow-in-Furness railway station. ^[5]

New plant, 1950s

New plant was commissioned over the operational life of the station. In the late 1950s the plant at the station comprised: ^[6]

• Boilers:
  • 3 × Stirling boilers with chain grate stokers, all with a final steam pressure of 200 psi (13.8 bar), and with capacities of :
    • 30,000 lb/h (3.78 kg/s) at 650 °F (343 °C);
    • 55,000 lb/h (6.93 kg/s) at 700 °F (371 °C);
    • 90,000 lb/h (11.3 kg/s) at 700 °F (371 °C)

The boilers had a total evaporative capacity of 175,000 lb/h (22.0 kg/s), and supplied steam to:

• Turbo-alternators:
  • 1 × Metropolitan Vickers 10 MW turbo-alternator, with Vickers condensing plant
  • 1 × Metropolitan Vickers 7 MW turbo-alternator, with Vickers condensing plant
  • 1 × Howden-Siemens 1 MW turbo-alternator, with Willans and Robinson condensing plant
  • 1 × Howden-Siemens 3 MW turbo-alternator, with Worthington Simpsons condensing plant
  • 1 × British Thomson-Houston 2 MW turbo-alternator, with Cole, Merchant and Morley's surface condensing plant

The total installed generating capacity was 23 MW, with an output capacity of 14 MW. ^[6]

Condenser cooling water was cooled in three wooden cooling towers with a combined capacity of 0.45 million gallons per hour (0.57 m³/s) plus one concrete cooling tower with a capacity of 1.0 million gallons per hour (1.26 m³/s). ^[6]

The corporation also operated Coniston water turbine generating station at Coniston. This comprised 2 × 150 kW Gilkes-Metropolitan-Vickers water turbo-alternator sets. These generated current at 450 Volts. ^[6]

Operations

Operating data 1921–23

The operating data for the period 1921–23 is shown in the table: ^[4]

Barrow-in-Furness power station operating data 1921–23

Electricity Use	Units	Year
		1921	1922	1923
Lighting and domestic use	MWh	1,877	2,003	1,632
Public lighting use	MWh	57.1	57.3	75.7
Traction	MWh	794	733	599
Power use	MWh	6,553	4,092	5,127
Total use	MWh	9,282	6,886	7,434
Load and connected load
Maximum load	kW	4,525	4,400	3,970
Total connections	kW	15,003	15,834	15,825
Load factor	Per cent	30.9	24.3	27.3
Financial
Revenue from sales of current	£	–	73,447	70,613
Surplus of revenue over expenses	£	–	26,112	34,496

Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 51) ^[7] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926. ^[8] The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively; Barrow was designated a selected station. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region. ^[8]

Operating data 1946

Barrow-in-Furness and Coniston power stations operating data for 1946 is given below. ^[9]

Barrow-in-Furness and Coniston power stations operating data, 1946

Station	Load factor per cent	Max output load MW	Electricity supplied GWh	Thermal efficiency per cent
Barrow	18.9	21.19	35.053	14.78
Coniston	38.7	0.321	1.072	––

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 54). ^[10] The Barrow-in-Furness electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Barrow-in-Furness and Coniston power stations were vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). ^[8] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Barrow-in-Furness electricity undertaking were transferred to the North Western Electricity Board (NORWEB). At the time of nationalisation the undertaking supplied 23,825 customers over an area of 208 square miles (539 square kilometres). ^[11]

Operating data 1954–63

Operating data for Barrow power station over the period 1954–59 is shown in the table: ^{[6] [9]}

Barrow-in-Furness power station operating data, 1954–59

Year	Running hours	Max output capacity  MW	Electricity supplied GWh	Thermal efficiency per cent
1954	6482	20	63.9	15.90
1955	4123	20	42.9	15.09
1956	3487	20	30.2	14.86
1957	3225	14	19.7	14.86
1958	3446	14	24.4	15.61
1959	3642	14	23.0	14.80

Operating data for Coniston power station was as follows: ^{[6] [12]}

Coniston power station operating data, 1954–63

Year	Running hours or load factor (per cent)	Max output capacity kW	Electricity supplied MWh
1954	6190	300	750
1955	8730	300	1136
1956	8761	300	872
1957	8183	300	1039
1958	8315	300	987
1961	(39.5 %)	300	1037
1962	(36.4 %)	300	957
1963	(20.55 %)	300	540

Closure

Barrow power station was decommissioned in about 1960. ^[3] The buildings were subsequently demolished and the area has been redeveloped as housing.

Coniston power station was decommissioned in the 1960s.

See also

• Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry
• List of power stations in England

References

1. Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son London. p. 98.
2. "Coniston hydro generation". waymarking. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
3. Barrow power station operating data is given in Garcke (1959) but it does not appear in CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
4. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Commissioners, Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 6–9 and 254–59.
5. Ordnance Survey 25-inch map Lancashire XXI.12 (Barrow In Furness) revised: 1911, published: 1913
6. Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-30, A-46, A-112, A-141.
7. "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
8. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN   085188105X.
9. Electricity Commission (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain 1946. London: HMSO.
10. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
11. "Industrial history of Cumbria - electricity". Cumbria-industries. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
12. CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963