Bristol power stations

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Avonbank Feeder Road power station
Bristol power stations
CountryEngland
LocationBristol
Coordinates 51°27′00″N02°34′00″W / 51.45000°N 2.56667°W / 51.45000; -2.56667
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Commission date 1902
Decommission date1959
Owner(s)Bristol Corporation (1893–1948), British Electricity Authority (1948–55), Central Electricity Authority (1955–57), Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–59)
Operator(s)Bristol Corporation (1893–1948), British Electricity Authority (1948–55), Central Electricity Authority (1955–57), Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–59)
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologyReciprocating engines and steam turbines
Cooling sourceCanal water and cooling tower
Power generation
Units operationalsee text
Nameplate capacity 25,890 kW (1923)
Annual net output 48,116 MWh (1923)
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Bristol power stations supplied electricity to the City of Bristol and the surrounding area from 1893 to 1959. Temple Back and Avonbank (Feeder Road) power stations were built by the Bristol Corporation which operated them up to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Contents

Refer to article on Portishead power station for details about that station.

History

Bristol Corporation applied in 1883 for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts   to generate and supply electricity to the City of Bristol. An Order was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 9) Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. ccxxi). [1] A power station was eventually built in Temple Back south of St Philip's bridge, and was commissioned on 20 August 1893. The electricity plant installed had a generating capacity of 700 kW. The Corporation charged 6d. and 4d./kWh and had 814 customers in 1898. [2] By 1898 the generating capacity was 1,972 kW, the maximum load was 1,010 kW, and the plant generated a total of 1,163 MWh in 1898. In 1900 a special power tariff of 1 1/2 d./kWh was introduced, and in 1902 a cooker tariff of 1d./kWh. [3]

The generating station at Temple Back was extended with new plant as demand for electricity grew. However, by 1900 the station was filled to capacity with 18 generators. A new power station, Avonbank, was constructed in Feeder Road (51°27’00”N 02°34’00”W) this was commissioned in 1902. It originally had two 745 kW generating sets. The station's name was changed from Avonbank to Feeder Road in 1916. [3]

Bristol tramways had an independent electricity generating station in Temple Back north of St Philip's bridge.

The Central Electricity Board built the first stages of the National Grid between 1927 and 1933. Bristol power stations were connected to the electricity grid. Bristol was part of a major 132 kV North–South line from Kilmarnock to Carlisle, Lancaster, Stoke, Bristol and Hayle. [4] A new power station at Portishead was commissioned in 1929. This was connected to the Feeder Road station through 33 kV cables. [3]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54). [5] The Bristol electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Bristol power stations were vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). [6] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Bristol electricity undertaking were transferred to the South Western Electricity Board (SWEB).

Following nationalisation Bristol Feeder Road power station became part of the Bristol electricity supply district. [7]

Feeder Road power station was closed in 1959. [3]

Equipment specification

By 1898 the plant in the original Temple Back power station was rated at 1,972 kW and comprised Willans engines coupled directly to Siemens alternators. [2]

Plant in 1923

By 1923 the plant at Temple Back comprised boilers delivering a total of 53,000 lb/h (6.68 kg/s) of steam to: [8]

The total generating capacity was 2,300 kW

By 1923 the plant at Feeder Road comprised boilers delivering a total of 432,000 lb/h (54.4 kg/s) of steam to: [8]

The total generating capacity was 25,890 kW.

The following electricity supplies were available to consumers:

Plant in 1954

By 1954 the plant at Feeder Road comprised: [7]

Total evaporative capacity 150,000 lb/h (18.9 kg/s), steam conditions were 200 psi and 570 °F (13.8 bar and 300 °C), steam was supplied to:

The total installed capacity was 25.15 MW.

Condenser water was abstracted from the canal, supplemented by a wooden cooling tower. [7]

Operations

In 1897 Temple Back power station sold 376,490 kWh of electricity, the maximum load was 404 kW. [2]

In 1911 there were 3,600 customers and the maximum demand was 6,000 kW. [3]

Operating data 1921–23

The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was: [8]

Bristol power stations supply data 1921–23
Electricity UseUnitsYear
192119221923
Lighting and domesticMWh10,3465,9087,314
Public lightingMWh1,2491,1321,392
TractionMWh000
PowerMWh20,58528,70133,223
Bulk supplyMWh1,3471,3381,287
Total useMWh33,52937,07948,116

Electricity Loads on the system were:

Year192119221923
Maximum loadkW14,30114,81217,840
Total connectionskW37,90544,33547,253
Load factorPer cent32.533.932.7

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £336,335; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £132,729. [8]

Operating data 1946

In 1946 Bristol (Feeder Road) power station supplied 31,078 MWh of electricity; the maximum output load was 29,750 kW. [9]

Operating data 1954–58

Operating data for the period 1954–58 was: [7]

Bristol power station operating data, 1954–58
YearRunning hoursMax output capacity MWElectricity supplied MWhThermal efficiency per cent
19541,049289,0027.89
19551,6302518,1528.66
19561,5882515,3828.62
19571,219258,5747.34
195821525910.52

Bristol Electricity District

Following nationalisation in 1948 Bristol power stations including Portishead became part of the Bristol electricity supply district, covering 125.6 square miles (325.3 km2) with a population of 538,300 in 1958. The number of consumers and electricity sold in the Bristol district was: [7]

Year195519561957
Number of consumers165,305170,634175,148
Electricity sold GWh606.41665.6743.6

In 1957 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was:

Type of consumerNo. of consumersElectricity sold GWh
Household159,093234.1
Shops and Offices17,172187.0
Factories1,818309.5
Farms4913.4
Traction00
Public lighting179.6
Total178,511743.6

Demolition and reuse

The power station building in Temple Back has been converted to offices. The power station in Feeder Road was demolished and the site is now used for industrial and commercial premises. A National Grid sub-station is extant to the south of the site.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Local Acts 1883". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Garcke, Garcke Emile, ed. (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. pp. 123–26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Peter G. Lamb, Electricity in Bristol 1863-1948, Bristol 1981, 34 pp.
  4. ↑ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: MacMillan. p. 119. ISBN   0333220862.
  5. ↑ "Electricity Act 1947". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61. ISBN   085188105X.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-39–40, A-115, B-139–40.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 18–21, 266–71.
  9. ↑ Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 7.
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