Bromborough power stations

Bromborough power station
Bromborough power station
Country	United Kingdom
Location	Bromborough, Merseyside
Coordinates	53°20′04″N02°57′44″W / 53.33444°N 2.96222°W
Status	Decommissioned and demolished
Construction began	1948
Commission date	December 1951
Decommission date	1980
Owner(s)	British Electricity Authority ; (1948–1955); Central Electricity Authority ; (1955–57); Central Electricity Generating Board ; (1958–1980)
Operator(s)	As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Fuel oil
Turbine technology	Steam turbines
Chimneys	2 (250 feet, 76.2 m)
Cooling source	Tidal river water
Power generation
Units operational	4 × 52.5 MW turbo-alternators
Make and model	English Electric
Units decommissioned	All
Nameplate capacity	210 MW
Annual net output	1504.234 GWh (1961)
	[ edit on Wikidata]

Last updated September 16, 2023

Bromborough power stations are three electricity generating stations that supplied power to industrial and domestic users in Bromborough, Port Sunlight and the wider Wirral area from 1918 until 1998. Bromborough power station provided public electricity supplies from 1951 to 1980. Central power station Bromborough (1918–1998) was originally owned by Lever Brothers and supplied electricity to domestic users in Port Sunlight as well as electricity and steam to industrial users. Merseyside power station Bromborough (1958–1998) was also owned by Unilever and provided electricity and steam at a range of pressures to industrial users in the locality. All three power stations at Bromborough have been demolished.

Bromborough power station

Bromborough power station was built as a 210 MW coal-fired station by the British Electricity Authority. Construction started in 1948 on a site (53°20'04.2"N 2°57'44.5"W) adjacent to the River Mersey.The consulting engineers for the scheme were Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners. ^[1]

The plant at Bromborough comprised:^[2]

8 × Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers each with an evaporative capacity of 300,000 lb/hr at 950 psi and 925 °F (37.8 kg/s at 65.5 bar and 496 °C).
4 × English Electric 52.5 MW turbo-alternators, with hydrogen cooled alternators generating electricity at 11 kV.

The first machine was commissioned in November 1951, followed by the other sets in December 1951, October 1952, and December 1952.^[2]

Condenser cooling water was abstracted from, and returned to, the tidal River Mersey.^[3]

Soon after commissioning the boilers were converted to oil-firing in accordance with government policy to take advantage of differential prices between coal and oil as fuel sources.^[4]

Bromborough power station was subsequently owned and operated by the Central Electricity Authority (1955–57) and the Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–80) as the UK electricity supply industry was restructured.^[4]

Operating data for the station throughout its operational life is shown in the table.^[2]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Bromborough power station operating data
Year	Capacity, MW	Electricity output, GWh	Hours run or (load factor %)	Thermal efficiency %
1954	188	1167.545	8760	29.20
1955	188	1354.139	8760	29.15
1956	197	1281.092	8784	28.92
1957	197	1245.667	8760	28.34
1958	197	1098.014	8760	28.14
1961	196	1504.234	(87.6 %)	28.94
1962	196	1386.124	(80.7 %)	29.50
1963	197	1412.953	(82.3 %)	29.97
1967	197	1124.955	(65.2 %)	28.12
1972	197	1436.221	(83.0 %)	29.22
1979	197	182.985	(10.6 %)	22.79

The station had a high thermal efficiency and was used intensively from the time it was commissioned. As an oil-fired station its utilisation was reduced following the oil crisis of 1973-4 when oil prices increased significantly.

Bromborough power station was closed in 1980^[8] and was demolished in 1986.

Central Power Station

Central power station (53°20'29.5"N 2°57'51.7"W) was built by Lever Brothers in 1918 to supply electricity for their manufacturing processes at Port Sunlight works. It initially comprised:^[9]

3 × coal-fired boilers
1 × Siemens Brothers 5 MW generating set.

The station was adjacent to the River Mersey which provided water for the condensing plant. In 1929 electricity was installed in the houses of Port Sunlight Village.^[9]

In the early 1930 the Central Power Station was expanded with three coal-fired boilers and a 6.25 MW generating set. The station then had a rated capacity of 11.5 MW.^[9]

In the 1950s a connection to the National Grid was installed. When local demand was high electricity could be imported from the grid, and conversely could be fed into the grid when local demand was low.

Some of the Unilever manufacturing processes required steam. A 1.3 MW British Thomson-Houston back-pressure generator was installed at the Central Station. This comprised a steam turbine fed with steam at 230 psi (15.9 bar) from the existing boilers. The expanding steam drove an alternator and discharged steam at 50 psi (3.4 bar), which was used in the works processes.^[9]

In the 1970s the oldest three boilers were decommissioned and part of the boiler house was demolished. The generating plant was decommissioned in 1998^[10] and most of the site was demolished, the 11 kV control room block was retained until new electricity supplies from the National Grid were installed.^[9]

Merseyside power station

To help meet increased demand for electricity and steam Unilever Group built an oil-fired power station (53°20'42.9"N 2°58'33.0"W) on Thermal Road industrial estate Bromborough which was commissioned in 1958.^[9]

The station comprised:^[9]^[11]

4 × oil-fired boilers producing 45 tons/h (45 tonnes/h) of steam at 650 psi (44.8 bar) and 450 °C, steam was fed to:
2 × 5 MW generating sets, after expansion in the turbine steam was discharged at 230 psi (15.9 bar) and supplied to the manufacturing plant and also to:
2 × 2.5 MW generating sets, steam was discharged at 110 psi (7.6 bar) and was supplied to the manufacturing plant.

The total electricity output was 14 MW and the station was designed to generate 80 GWh of electricity for the company's high voltage network.^[12] It supplied steam to 15 local companies and electricity to nearly 50 firms.^[11] The overall thermal efficiency of the station was about 78 per cent. The station had three slender concrete chimneys.

Oil was supplied to the station by a 4-inch diameter pipeline from Ellesmere Port. The power station used 100,000 tonnes of fuel oil a year.^[12]

The station cost £2.5 million to build and in 1958 was the largest privately owned power station in the UK.^[12] It had two 250 feet (76.2 m) high chimneys.

In 1964 work started on expanding Merseyside Power Station to meet growing demand. The new plant comprised:^[9]

1 × 104 tons/h boiler delivering steam at 1,500 psi (103.4 bar) and 538 °C,
1 × Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) 5.4 MW turbo-alternator generating at 11kV. This set was supplied with steam at 1,500 psi and discharged steam at 650 psi (44.3 bar).
1 × 8.1 MW turbo-alternator generating at 11 kV. This set took steam at 44.3 bar and reduced the steam pressure to 110 psi (7.59 bar).

By 1966 the Unilever network had a total generating capacity of nearly 30 MW and provided steam at 50, 110, 230 and 1,500 psi (3.4, 7.6, 15.9 and 103 bar).^[9]

In 1974, a further extension to Merseyside Power Station was undertaken and comprised a single high pressure boiler (rated at 104 tons/h), and two back pressure generating sets (5.8 MW) operating at 102/45 bar.^[9]

The specification and condition of the boilers and turbines in the last few years of operation were as follows.^[9]

Merseyside power station - boilers
Boiler Number	Capacity	Fuel	Steam pressure, psi	Notes	Condition c. 1990
1		Heavy fuel oil (HFO)	650
2		HFO	650
3		HFO	650		Scrap
4		HFO	650		Scrap
5	100 tons/h	HFO	1500	4 burners, 8 gallons/minute, Bailey DCS controls	Never used
6	100 tons/h	HFO	1500	4 burners, 8 gallons/minute, pneumatic Bailey Miniline500 controllers	Standby
7	100 tons/h	Coal	1500	Bailey DCS controls	Daily use

Merseyside power station - turbines
Turbine Number	Rating	Steam in, psi	Steam out, psi	Notes	Condition c. 1990
P1		650	230		Removed
P2		650	230		Removed
P3		650	230		Removed
S1		230	110		Removed
S2		230	110		Removed
T1
T2	10 MW	1500	650	11 kV	Unservicable
T3	14 MW	1500	110	Extract at 230 psi, 11 kV	Daily use

The requirement for steam was reduced by new manufacturing processes and the aging generating plant was decommissioned in 1998.^[10] Merseyside Power Station was subsequently demolished.^[13]^[14]

Related Research Articles

Clarence Dock was a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. Situated in the northern dock system in Vauxhall, it was connected to Trafalgar Dock.

The Littlebrook Power Station were a series of four oil and coal-fired power stations situated on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel in Dartford, Kent. The final power station, Littlebrook D, ceased operating in March 2015, and has now been demolished.

Great Yarmouth Power Station is combined cycle gas turbine power station on South Denes Road in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England, with a maximum output of 420 MW electricity, opened in 2001. It is built on the site of an oil-fired power station, built in 1958 and closed and demolished in the 1990s. A coal-fired power station was built in Great Yarmouth in 1894 and operated until 1961. The station is operated by RWE.

Rotherham power station was a coal-fired power station sited close to the centre of Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

Hartshead Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated at Heyrod, Greater Manchester in North West England.

Sunderland Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated on the bank of the River Wear, in the city centre of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, North East England. The station was initially built in 1901 by the Sunderland Corporation and had several extensions added.

Doncaster Power Station refers to two coal-fired electricity generating stations situated in the centre of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Doncaster A provided electricity to the town from 1900 to 1958, and the B station from 1953 to 1983.

Westwood Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated adjacent to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Ince-in-Makerfield in Greater Manchester, North West England.

Northfleet Power Station was a coal-fired, later oil-fired, power station on the south bank of the Thames at Northfleet, Kent. Opened in 1963, it was converted to burn oil in 1972, and closed in 1991.

Bold Power Station refers to a series of two coal-fired power stations in Bold near St Helens, Merseyside, North West England. They were closed, decommissioned and demolished between 1981 and 1992, and a housing estate now occupies the site.

Kirkstall power station was a coal-fired unit opened in 1930, serving the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Carlisle power stations were two electricity generating stations that supplied electricity to Carlisle and the surrounding area from 1899 until 1980. The first power station (1899–1927) was in the centre of the city near Nelson Bridge, and the second larger station was at Willow Holme North-West of the city (1923–1980).

Stourport power stations were two electricity generating stations that supplied electricity to Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire and to the wider West Midlands area from 1927 to 1984. The two stations, A (1927–78) and B (1950–84), were collocated on a joint site adjacent to the River Severn south of Stourport-on-Severn.

The Percival Lane power station in Runcorn was built and operated by the Mersey Power Company Limited. It comprised two stations A and B commissioned in 1921 and 1941. The station supplied electricity to commercial, industrial and domestic users over a wide area of 95 square miles around the River Mersey including Widnes, Ellesmere Port and Runcorn.

Huddersfield power station supplied electricity to the town of Huddersfield and the wider area from 1893 to 1981. It was owned and operated by Huddersfield Corporation until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times: including the incorporation of new plant in the 1910s, and in the 1930s to 1950s. The station was decommissioned in October 1981.

Lombard Road power station supplied electricity to the Battersea area of South-East London from 1901 to 1972. It was owned and operated by the Borough of Battersea until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times: including the incorporation of new plant in the 1910s and the 1930s. The station was decommissioned in 1972.

Tir John power station supplied electricity to the Swansea area and to the national grid from 1935 to 1976. It was initially owned and operated by the Swansea Corporation until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was built in several phases from 1935 to 1944. It was converted from coal to oil-firing in 1967; Tir John power station was decommissioned in 1976.

The Thornhill power station generated and supplied electricity to the town of Dewsbury and the wider regional area from 1902 to 1982, and again from 1998. The first generating station on the site was owned and operated by the Yorkshire Electric Power Company. Following nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948 Thornhill power station was operated by a succession of state owned bodies. The power station was redeveloped with new plant in 1915, 1925, 1932–37 and 1950–54. The coal-fired steam station was decommissioned in 1982, and was subsequently demolished. A gas turbine power station on the site was commissioned in 1998.

Lister Drive power station was a series of generating stations that supplied electricity to the City of Liverpool and the wider area from 1900 until 1980. They were owned and collaboratively operated by Liverpool Corporation and Marcus Kemp Coal Limited until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was developed in several phases: designated No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 stations. A gas turbine station was commissioned in March 1965.

Wallasey power station supplied electricity to the town of Wallasey and the surrounding area from 1897. It was owned and operated by Wallasey Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times: including the incorporation of new plant in the 1920s and 1950. The station was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

References

↑ Hope's Windows, catalogue 260 : Henry Hope & Sons Ltd : Birmingham : 1951 : p102
1 2 3 Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-40, A-115.
↑ "Bromborough power station". flickr. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
1 2 Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 68, 69, 71, 73, 76. ISBN 085188105X.
↑ CEGB Annual Report and Accounts 1961, 1962, 1963, CEGB London
↑ CEGB (1972). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 17.
↑ CEGB (1979). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1978-79. London: CEGB. p. 8. ISBN 0902543598.
↑ Bromborough P.S appears in the CEGB Statistical Yearrbook 1978-79, but not in the 1981-82 edition
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Unilever's Power Stations". Wirralwiki.co.uk. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
1 2 "Plug pulled on power station". Wirral Globe. 17 February 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
1 2 "Fossil Energy Update: Merseyside power station". Google Books. November 1977. p. 108. Retrieved 7 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
1 2 3 "Private enterprise heat and power". New Scientist: 11. 1 January 1959.
↑ "Central Power Station". streetmap. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
↑ "Merseyside power station gates". flickr. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Hope's Windows, catalogue 260 : Henry Hope & Sons Ltd : Birmingham : 1951 : p102

[:0-2] 1 2 3 Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-40, A-115.

[3] "Bromborough power station". flickr. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

[:1-4] 1 2 Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 68, 69, 71, 73, 76. ISBN 085188105X.

[5] CEGB Annual Report and Accounts 1961, 1962, 1963, CEGB London

[6] CEGB (1972). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 17.

[7] CEGB (1979). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1978-79. London: CEGB. p. 8. ISBN 0902543598.

[8] Bromborough P.S appears in the CEGB Statistical Yearrbook 1978-79, but not in the 1981-82 edition

[:2-9] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Unilever's Power Stations". Wirralwiki.co.uk. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2020.

[:5-10] 1 2 "Plug pulled on power station". Wirral Globe. 17 February 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2020.

[:3-11] 1 2 "Fossil Energy Update: Merseyside power station". Google Books. November 1977. p. 108. Retrieved 7 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[:4-12] 1 2 3 "Private enterprise heat and power". New Scientist: 11. 1 January 1959.

[13] "Central Power Station". streetmap. Retrieved 7 July 2020.

[14] "Merseyside power station gates". flickr. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]