Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation

Last updated
Signage on substation in Mort Street, Balmain, NSW. EL&PSC Signage (Mort St Balmain).jpg
Signage on substation in Mort Street, Balmain, NSW.

Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Limited was a privately owned listed company that generated and distributed electrical power to suburbs within the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales Australia, from 1909 to 1956. It owned and operated the Balmain Power Station. It was nationalised in 1956, by the New South Wales Government, and its assets and operations became a part of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales, [1] [2] on 1 January 1957.

Contents

Origins

The Borough of Balmain Electric Lighting Act 1906 enabled the local council to generate electricity for the surrounding area and to incinerate its garbage. This right was contracted to a private company set up for that purpose. [2] [3]

The company (EL&PSC) was set up in 1908. [4] In line with the 1906 Act of Parliament, its original purpose was both to supply electricity to the Borough of Balmain and to incinerate its garbage. [5]

On 30 September 1909, the newly completed power station (later known as Balmain 'A') generated its first electricity, partially fuelled by garbage and partially by coal. The power station was located on waterfront land, adjacent to the Iron Cove Bridge, and with a wharf where coal could be unloaded. [6] It had a coal stockpile adjacent to the power station, which gave some resilience against coal strikes and other interruptions to the coal supply. [7]

Company, shares, and capital raising

Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Limited was a publicly listed company, with shares traded on the stock exchange. In 1908, it issued 100,000 shares of £1 each. [8] In 1914, the capital of the company was increased to £300,000, by the issue of another 200,000 shares, of £1 each. [9]

In 1954, as nationalisation approached, there were 886,291 ordinary and 166,667 cumulative 7% preference shares, making up capital of £1,052,858. [10]

Other private electric utility companies

EL&PSC would not be the only privately owned electricity supplier in the Sydney region. Founded in 1913, Parramatta Electric Supply Company [11] —reconstructed in 1921 [12] and, after 1929, known as Parramatta and Granville Electric Supply Company (P&GESC) [13] —supplied customers further west, initially from its own power station in Macquarie Street, Parramatta. [14] [11] [15] [16] From 1906 to 1920, the suburb of Manly, was supplied first by Manly Electric Light Company and then, from 1911, by Manly Electric Supply Company, [17] [18] [19] [20] with direct current electricity, [21] from a small coal-fired power station there. [22] The generators of the huge meat cold store of the Pastoral Finance Association (PFA), at Kirribilli, also supplied electricity—almost certainly direct current [23] —to some customers on the north side of the harbour, from January 1909 until around 1922. [24] [25] [26] It also provided street lighting for some of the major streets of North Sydney from 1913 [27] to around 1922. [28] [26] However, PFA failed in its objective to set up a larger power station (and garbage incinerator) to supply all the municipalities on the Lower North Shore, with alternating current electricity. [29] [30]

Within the City of Sydney, there were various small privately owned electricity suppliers that were set up prior to the municipal electrical utility beginning power generation. Strand Electric Lighting Company, [31] had a power station in George Street behind the Royal Hotel, [32] and another in Elizabeth Street. [33] Empire Electric Light Company, [34] had its power station adjacent to the Empire Hotel in Pitt St, [35] and opened a second in Margaret Lane. [33] Other small suppliers were Arcadia, George Adams, and the 'Oxford Company' (on Oxford Street). [33] These small suppliers were set up originally to supply their own buildings, [36] but also supplied others on a small scale; all were still in operation in August 1903. [33]

By the mid-1920s, the only remaining privately owned electric utilities in the Sydney region were EL&PSC and P&GESC.

Growth, constraints, and relationship with other utility organisations

By around the same time as the EL&PSC was beginning its operations, the Municipal Council of Sydney's electrical supply undertaking (SMC), also known as the 'City Council' or 'Sydney Municipal Council'—owner and operator of the Pyrmont Power Station, opened in July 1904 [37] —had bought out the two largest of the small private power suppliers within its municipal boundaries, Strand and Empire. [31] [33] SMC was soon extending its service beyond its own municipal boundaries. Such an extension required the agreement of the relevant local government authorities, although the other municipality sometimes facilitated such an agreement itself, in order to secure an electricity supply and electric street lighting. [38] [39] The first such extension was to supply the Women's Hospital at Paddington, and subsequently the rest of the small Municipality of Paddington. [40] In 1910, SMC had signed agreements with Annandale, Mascot, Randwick, and Woollahra municipalities. SMC and EL&PSC were seen to be competing to extend their distribution networks into neighbouring municipalities. [38] [41]

By December 1910, EL&PSC had only 225 consumers in Balmain, and another 76 in Newtown. [42] By the end of 1911, the area that was exclusively serviced by EL&PSC comprised not only the municipality of Balmain, but also the neighbouring municipalities of Newtown, Petersham, Leichhardt, and Ashfield. [2] [43] EL&PSC owned and operated the expanding network low-voltage reticulation and street lighting, within these municipalities. In August 1912, there were 1,036 consumers, [44] rising to 4,056 by the end of 1916, [45] as its electricity mains were extended and more consumers could be connected. By June 1920, its supply was connected to 31,200 premises and it had 215 miles of lit streets, but its area of coverage had not expanded. [43] In contrast, around 1921–1922, SMC started to supply consumers and light streets in parts of the Lower North Shore [46] —it already supplied Willoughby from April 1916 [47] [48] —and also reached agreement to supply bulk electricity to Manly. [49] In 1930, SMC obtained agreement to supply bulk power to several municipalities extending as far west as Penrith. [50] Sydney County Council (SCC) was created, in 1935, taking over SMC's electrical operations. EL&PSC's service area was, by then, effectively surrounded by sixteen municipalities that had agreed to take their power from the rival SCC, [51] [52] constraining further growth of EL&PSC.

Both SMC and EL&PSC were displacing the hitherto dominant gas lamps, for both street and house lighting, in the areas that they supplied with electricity. The cost of lighting streets with electric lamps was reportedly less than half of that using gas lamps. The change affected the two gas utility companies, Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) and North Shore Gas Company. [53] [46] In 1912, the chairman of AGL was quoted as saying that, "It was only a question of time, ... when these councils would find out their mistake to have effected the change [from gas street lighting to electric]". [54] However, gas street lamps were soon disappearing from the streets of Sydney's suburbs.

During the early 1930s, EL&PSC erected a number of substation buildings in the Inner West. [55] [56] [57] As its area of operations had not expanded, the new substations probably indicate that EL&PSC was increasing the amount of electricity that it was supplying to its customers there, most likely displacing gas usage. Gas could be used for cooking, space heating, water heating, and gas-powered refrigerators, instead of electricity, but was no longer a viable alternative for lighting. Gas was widely connected to premises in the Inner West. [58] EL&PSC applied separate 'light' and 'power' tariffs. [59] Probably, the lower rate for 'power' was to remain competitive with reticulated town gas, supplied by EL&PSC's well-established rival, Australian Gas Light Company. [60]

Parts of Balmain and Birchgrove were industrial areas. EL&PSC supplied electrical power to Mort's Dock and Balmain Colliery, among other industrial customers. Mort's Dock could also generate its own power. [61] The Cockatoo Island Dockyard, just offshore from the Balmain Power Station, had its own powerhouse to generate electricity for the docks. [62]

Even more so after the opening of Bunnerong Power Station, in 1929, [63] SCC was a much larger utility than EL&PSC. [64] From 1936 onward, there were proposals and attempts to merge the two entities. An obstacle to such a merger was the apparent profitability of EL&PSC, which gave the company no compelling reason to sell its business to SCC cheaply. [65] By 1943, although the profitability of EL&PSC had declined, the attempts to merge had clearly failed. [66]

The third large power generator in the Sydney region was New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR), from 1933, NSW Department of Railways. It generated power for electric trams, [67] and from 1926, electric trains, [68] at Ultimo (from 1899) [67] [69] and White Bay (from 1913). [70] [71] NSWGR was also a supplier of bulk electrical power to some municipalities in metropolitan Sydney, typically those further away from the city centre [72] and to the south. [61] Outside the Sydney metropolitan area, NSWGR's operations included coal-fired power stations at Lithgow (from 1928) and Newcastle (from 1915), which were initially the centres of two separate networks, neither of which were connected to NSWGR's network in Sydney. Connection of these three networks to create a single NSWGR network was achieved only by 1941–1942. [73]

Interconnections

By the mid-1920s, SMC's Pyrmont Power Station had no further room for capacity expansion, but demand for electricity continued to rise. [74] In April 1923, SMC reached an agreement, with the Railway Commissioners, for NSWGR to provide, from White Bay, the additional power that it needed. The agreement covered the period from 1924 to 1928 or 1929, [75] pending completion of SMC's Bunnerong Power Station. [63] [74] In 1925, a 50 Hz interconnection was made between the two systems. [76] However, it was not until 1939 that the commissioning of a frequency changer, at White Bay, allowed those NSWGR generators working at 25 Hz to supply the, by then, Sydney County Council (SCC) at 50 Hz, [77] something that had been advocated as early as 1919. [78]

Concern about the possibility of a wartime attack on a power station, which could leave parts of Sydney without power, resulted in the installation of an interconnection to link SCC and EL&PSC (Balmain Power Station) networks, in 1941. [76] After that, all the power distribution networks in the Sydney metropolitan area were interconnected. [73]

There were also two interconnections to the NSWGR network from the Southern Electricity Supply (SES), at Sydenham in Sydney (to Port Kembla) from around 1941, and at Orange (to Cowra) from 1947. SES supplied southern and southern central-western parts of the state, from its own coal-fired and hydro-electric power stations. [79] By 1942, all four major electricity generators in New South Wales were interconnected in some manner. [73]

Technology

Generation

Consumer reticulation

A major difference between the two power supply entities, SMC and EL&PSC, was that EL&PSC always supplied its street lighting and consumers' mains with alternating current, using three-phase transformers to step down the voltage for low-voltage 50 Hz alternating current reticulation at 415 / 240 Volts. [80] SMC supplied street lighting and consumers' mains with direct current, from rotary converter substations at the Town Hall and at Lang Park, where high-voltage alternating current from Pyrmont was converted to low-voltage direct current for reticulation. There were five substations in and close to the Sydney CBD area, included in the 1904 plan, but the last three used transformers to provide low voltage alternating current. The City Council's street lighting and customers, in areas bordering the CBD, were supplied with alternating current (415 / 240 Volts, 50 Hz) but the CBD area was supplied with direct current (480 / 240 Volts). An advantage of direct current was that, from 1909, the Town Hall substation had a large battery that could augment the supply to customers. [51] [36] Direct current was also more easily applied to building elevators (lifts), at least in those early years. By the end of 1913, SMC had 63 substations and 20 pole-mounted transformers. [51] In 1929, SMC opened a large modern power station, Bunnerong, [63] [81] and it adopted low-voltage alternating current reticulation as its standard for all new installations, in 1930. However, by then, the direct current system was well established; SMC had by then five direct current substations in the CBD, and it needed to relocate its Lang Park substation to Dalley Street, during the construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge. [82] By the time SCC was created, in 1935, direct current reticulation was almost technologically obsolete, but it was to take many years, extending well into the 1950s, and much expense to progressively convert all of SCC's remaining d.c. supply mains to alternating current. [83] [84] [85] The last of SCC's direct current customers, the General Post Office—supplied via a mercury-arc rectifier—was only disconnected on 28 August 1985. [86]

Lighting

Probably conscious of the amount of electricity consumed in its street lighting network—power that could not be sold to customers—EL&PSC was a relatively earlier adopter of newer and more efficient lighting technology; it used tungsten filament incandescent lamps, from 1909, [6] and mercury vapour lamps, from the mid-1930s. [87]

Consumer metering and charges

A customer's bill from 1932, shows that EL&PSC had separate electricity meters for lighting and power. There were two different charging rates applied, with that for 'power' being very significantly cheaper than that for 'lighting'. [59]

Post-war expansion

In the years following the Second World War, there was a rapid rise in demand for electricity. Insufficient generating capacity resulted in increasingly frequent black outs, exacerbated by strikes at power stations [61] and the 1949 coal industry strikes, [88] [89] a cumulative lack of non-essential maintenance during wartime, breakdowns and lengthy repairs of critical items of equipment, [90] [91] and an inability to procure new capital equipment due the longer-term impacts of wartime restrictions on industry and the disruption of international trade. [92]

EL&PSC was better able to continue the supply to its customers during this period, and the problems mainly affected the areas supplied by SCC. [61] These interruptions of power supply had political implications for the New South Wales Government, [92] but also presented an opportunity for EL&PSC to expand its business.

Balmain 'A' Power Station (centre-left), with Balmain 'B' under construction (centre-right), 1947. The coal wharf lies in front of the power station. Balmain NSW - Balmain 'A' with Balmain 'B' Power Station under construction (Construction, Wed 9 Apr 1947 Page 2).jpg
Balmain 'A' Power Station (centre-left), with Balmain 'B' under construction (centre-right), 1947. The coal wharf lies in front of the power station.

EL&PSC invested in a major expansion of the Balmain Power Station, adding a modern new plant (Balmain 'B'), to increase the total capacity of Balmain. [93] Provision was made to allow Balmain 'B' to be expanded, on both sides, in future, with the ultimate planned capacity being 300 MW. [93] It began operating in 1950.

During the late 1940s, EL&PSC attempted to become the bulk power supplier to Parramatta and Granville Electric Supply Company Limited (P&GESC). No longer generating its own power, P&GESC was obtaining bulk electricity from Department of Railways power stations (such as White Bay), not Balmain. [94] [95] In 1948, the EL&PSC made a takeover offer for P&GESC [96] and, by 1950, it owned all but 419 of its 150,000 shares. [97] With new capacity at Balmain, the company began supplying power to P&GESC and even to SCC, which had its own power stations, Pyrmont and Bunnerong. [98]

Government policy and nationalisation

After the Second World War, it was recognised that the number and small size of the municipalities in New South Wales, were constraints on developing necessary infrastructure. In 1949, under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 , mergers of municipalities took place, creating larger entities, [99] some of which were partially-supplied by EL&PSC and partially-supplied by SCC.

New South Wales had four large electricity generating entities—together generating 93% of electricity in New South Wales—only one of which, EL&PSC, was privately owned. Critically, there was no single entity responsible for planning and implementation of all new generating and power transmission capacity, in New South Wales, at a time when a major expansion would inevitably occur. [92] That was a very different arrangement to the apparently successful State Electricity Commission of Victoria; it was established in 1919 and, by 1949, controlled virtually all electricity generation in Victoria. New South Wales Government policy of the immediate post-war period was to create a single government-owned monopoly to control electricity generation within the state, [92] along broadly similar lines to what had been achieved in Victoria, [100] but with retailing of electricity and street lighting under municipal control.

The Government's plan, to nationalise EL&PSC and its subsidiary company, Parramatta and Granville Electric Supply Company Limited, was announced in 1950. [101] In November 1950, the Electricity Commission (Balmain Electric Light Company Purchase) Act was enacted. [102] However, there was resistance to the acquisition of the company, from its management and shareholders [101] and from opposition politicians. [97] A significant obstacle was reaching agreement on a method to be applied when valuing the company's assets—book value, market value, or replacement cost—because different methods produced very different valuations. [103] The immediate reaction on the stock market was to bid up the value of EL&PSC shares, after the EL&PSC board advised its shareholders not to sell their shares, during the period of negotiation with the government. [103] [104] [105] There were protracted negotiations, ending in a dispute over the sale price, which delayed the nationalisation. [10]

In May 1949, Harold Conde (1898–1959)—employed by EL&PSC since 1929 and its General Manager since 1938—became the 'Emergency Power Commissioner', and in this position he managed the statewide electricity supply, during the crises of the 1949 coal industry strikes and the underlying shortages of generating capacity. Conde had previously held the wartime role of Deputy Regional Controller of Electricity Supply in New South Wales. [89] [98] In May 1950, he was appointed head of the newly established Electricity Commission of New South Wales (ECNSW). [106] [107] Conde's appointment was intended to deal with the frequent blackouts of the period and, almost certainly, was influenced by the better performance of EL&PSC in expanding generating capacity and maintaining a reliable supply, relative to SCC. [108] [61] The minister to whom he answered, Joseph (J.J) Cahill, was particularly aggrieved at delays to a major expansion of capacity, SCC's Pyrmont 'B' Power Station, and Cahill lost confidence in SCC's management. [109] As the head of ECNSW, Conde oversaw the subsequent reorganisation and expansion of electricity generation and transmission during the 1950s. [92] By 1955, the available generating capacity had caught up with demand for electricity, and the electricity crisis and its blackouts were at an end. [110] [92]

The dispute over the valuation of the assets of the EL&PSC eventually reached the High Court. [111] It was not until 1956 that EL&PSC finally was nationalised, and its generation and distribution assets were transferred to the Electricity Commission of New South Wales, on 1 January 1957. Sydney County Council—from January 1952, only a distributor of electricity [92] —took over the electricity distribution and street lighting operations of the old company, and 41,244 consumers, in the Inner West of Sydney, from 1 January 1958. [1] [2] [52] The newly created Prospect County Council took over the distribution and street lighting operations of the subsidiary, Parramatta and Granville Electric Supply Company Limited, from 1 July 1958. [112] [113]

Balmain Power Station was expanded further, while owned by ECNSW, but finally closed in 1976.

Remnants

The old pumphouse building is all that remains at the old site of the Balmain Power Station. [2] In November 2023, there were old substations and other buildings that bear the company's name, in the Inner West suburbs of Sydney; [55] [56] [114] [115] [116] some have been repurposed, [117] and some may be the work of a leading Sydney architect of the time, E. Lindsay Thompson. [57] Efforts to have some substation buildings added to the heritage list of Inner West Council stalled, in June 2023, after YIMBY movement agitation against their listing. Despite their small land plots making them unsuitable for multiple occupancy housing redevelopment, the substations had become emblematic in the broader argument over what kinds of buildings and how much of the area should be heritage protected. [118]

Documents relating to EL&PSC are held in the State Archive of New South Wales collection. [119] A consumer's electricity bill from the old company, dating from 1932, is included in the collection of the Powerhouse Museum. [59]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric power industry</span> Industry that provides the production and delivery of electric energy

The electric power industry covers the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric power to the general public and industry. The commercial distribution of electric power started in 1882 when electricity was produced for electric lighting. In the 1880s and 1890s, growing economic and safety concerns lead to the regulation of the industry. What was once an expensive novelty limited to the most densely populated areas, reliable and economical electric power has become an essential aspect for normal operation of all elements of developed economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Government Railways</span> Rail transport agency in NSW, 1855–1932

The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balmain Power Station</span>

The Balmain Power Station was located at Iron Cove, 4 km (2 mi) from Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The station no longer exists and residential properties now occupy the site. This plant is often confused with the White Bay Power Station, the remains of which are still standing in Rozelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CESC Limited</span> Electricity supply company in Kolkata, India

The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) is the Kolkata-based flagship company of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, born from the erstwhile RPG Group, under the chairmanship of businessman Sanjiv Goenka. It is an Indian electricity generation and the sole distribution company serving 567 square kilometres (219 sq mi) of area administered by the Kolkata municipal corporation, in the city of Kolkata, as well as parts of Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Parganas (North) and 24 Parganas (South) districts in the state of West Bengal. It also serves power distribution in Kota, Bikaner and Bharatpur in Rajasthan under the name CESC RAJASTHAN. It serves 3.0 million consumers approximately, which includes domestic, industrial and commercial users.

The Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) was the South Australian Government-owned monopoly vertically integrated electricity provider from 1946 until its privatisation in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney County Council</span>

The Sydney County Council (SCC) was formed in 1935 to produce electricity and operate the electricity network in a number of municipalities in metropolitan Sydney. Unlike other New South Wales county councils, which were voluntary associations of local councils to undertake local government activities permitted or required of them by the Local Governnment Act 1919, Sydney County Council was established under a separate piece of legislation by the state government to perform the electricity distribution and streetlighting operations of the local government areas concerned. On its establishment it assumed control of the Electricity Department of the Sydney City Council, which was already supplying electricity to other municipalities. In 1952, the SCC lost most its electricity generation functions to the Electricity Commission of New South Wales and retained only its distribution functions. The SCC was merged with other municipal county councils in 1990 to form Sydney Electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Commission of New South Wales</span>

The Electricity Commission of New South Wales, sometimes called Elcom, was a statutory authority responsible for electricity generation and its bulk transmission throughout New South Wales, Australia. The commission was established on 22 May 1950 by the Electricity Commission Act 1950 to take control of power generation in the State. The commission acquired the power stations and main transmission lines of the four major supply authorities: Southern Electricity Supply, Sydney County Council, the Department of Railways and the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Ltd, also known as the Balmain Electric Light Company, the owner and operator of Balmain Power Station. The commission was responsible for the centralised co-ordination of electricity generation and transmission in the State, and some local councils continued to be distributors of electricity only.

Pacific Power was the state owned monopoly power generator in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The corporation was formed from the New South Wales Electricity Commission in 1995. It was broken up into TransGrid, Delta Electricity, Eraring Energy and Macquarie Generation in between 1995 and 2003. The consultancy division, Pacific Power International was acquired by Connell Wagner at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of electricity supply in Queensland</span>

The provision of electricity in Queensland required a considerable degree of pioneering, innovation, and commitment. Queensland proved to be a pioneer in the supply of electricity in Australia, with the first public demonstration in Australia, the first recorded use for public purposes in the country, the first Parliament House in Australia and the first commercial operations in Australia all occurring in Brisbane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrmont Power Station</span>

Pyrmont Power Station was an electricity generating plant located in the Sydney suburb of Pyrmont, New South Wales.

In 2013 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia celebrated 200 years from its naming as a town in 1813. Over the 200 years significant milestones have occurred in the town and regions infrastructure development to support growth of the region. The development of Australia progressed with a few frontier towns built in extreme isolation like Bathurst. Sydney was founded in 1788 and 25 years later in 1813 only a few other coastal towns had been established. The desire to explore the unknown areas led the Colonial Government to sponsor expeditions to the interior of the vast country. A large mountain range running parallel to the Sydney coast blocked access to the west and rugged mountains and a river blocked access to the north. Before the exploration of the inland started they had no idea what they would find but what they did discover was fertile and well watered land ideal for grazing of animals and producing agricultural products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coorparoo Substation No. 210</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Coorparoo Substation No. 210 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 12 Main Avenue, Coorparoo, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Reyburn Jameson and built in 1930 by A. Mason. It is also known as Substation 10. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 August 2005.

The electricity supply in Brisbane has been an important part of the economic and social development of the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Substation No. 167</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Electricity Substation No. 167 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 93 Parramatta Road, Auburn, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built from 1924 to 1929 by the Municipal Council of Sydney, with the City Architect being responsible for the design. It is also known as #167 'AUBURN' 33KV ZONE SUBSTATION. The property is owned by Ausgrid. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Substation No. 269</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Electricity Substation No. 269 is a heritage-listed electrical substation located at 36 Anglesea Street, Bondi, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Walter Frederick White, City Architect's Office and Municipal Council of Sydney and built in 1928 by the Municipal Council of Sydney. The property is owned by Ausgrid. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Substation No. 349</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Electricity Substation No. 349 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 2S Frances Street, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Walter Frederick White, City Architect's Department and Municipal Council of Sydney and built during 1930 by J Rutherford. It is also known as #349 Princes Street substation. The property is owned by Ausgrid. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyle Street Railway Substation</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Argyle Street Railway Substation is a heritage-listed railway electric substation located at Trinity Avenue, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Millers Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1932 by Dorman, Long and Co. It is also known as Sydney Harbour Bridge Substation. The property is owned by RailCorp, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was incorporated as a public company in 1889 to generate and supply electricity to parts of the City of Westminster, Holborn and later the City of London. From 1925 it worked jointly with other companies as part of the London Power Company. The company was abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British electricity industry was nationalised, and its assets were transferred to the British Electricity Authority and the London Electricity Board. The Charing Cross Corporation's Bow power station continued in operation until 1969.

Southern Electricity Supply was a corporation sole that controlled and administered the electricity supply assets of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, from 1942 to 1950. It operated a number of coal-fired and hydro-electric power stations in New South Wales, and was a bulk electricity supplier to part of New South Wales, mainly in the south and south central-west of the state. In November 1950, its assets and operations were merged into the Electricity Commission of New South Wales.

References

  1. 1 2 "Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation". Dictionary of Sydney . State Library of New South Wales . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Balmain Power Station | The Dictionary of Sydney". dictionaryofsydney.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Parliament of New South Wales (22 September 1906). "Act No. 10, 1906.An Act to enable the Borough of Balmain to establish, maintain, or contract for works for Electric Lighting; for the destruction of garbage, and for other purposes ; and to borrow money, and to make a rate for such purposes".
  4. ↑ "Advertising, Abridged Prospectus Of The Electric Light And Power Supply Corporation, Limited". Sydney Morning Herald . 29 February 1908. p. 11. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Financial". Sydney Morning Herald . 29 February 1908. p. 15. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Balmain Electric Plant". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 2 October 1909. p. 11. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "A Company's Protest". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 30 November 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Notes And Comments". Sydney Morning Herald . 2 May 1908. p. 15. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Notes And Comments". Sydney Morning Herald . 8 May 1914. p. 11. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 "£10-Mil. Claim". The Sun (Sydney) . 8 March 1954. p. 23. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Parramatta Electric Supply Co., ltd". Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate . 1 March 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  12. ↑ ""The Companies Act, 1899."". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 25 February 1921. p. 1428. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Company News". Sydney Morning Herald . 24 October 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Parramatta Furnace Lit". Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate . 9 August 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Parramatta Council". Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate . 14 February 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Power house—a potential 'bomb'". Cumberland Argus . 22 November 1961. p. 21. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "More Electric Light For Manly". The Sun (Sydney) . 6 May 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Advertising - Electricity in Manly". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 5 March 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "Manly's £22,000 Loan". The Sun (Sydney) . 9 December 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "Power Station To Go". The Sun (Sydney) . 21 December 1921. p. 11. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "EQUITY". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 10 December 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Manly Electric Light". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 16 November 1907. p. 14. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  23. ↑ Unknown photographer (27 January 1909), Kirribilli, NSW - Pastoral Finance Association - Engine Room, 50hp Belliss Siemens steam dynamos (Sydney Mail, 27 Jan 1909, Page 36 ), Original caption at source reads, "The 50-H.P. Siemens Belliss Steam Dynamos" , retrieved 9 November 2023
  24. ↑ ""Not A White Elephant. Pastoral Finance Association. New Electric Lighting Plant."". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 22 January 1909. p. 9. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  25. ↑ "A Big Firm's Enterprise". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser . 27 January 1909. p. 36. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Plant Which Cost £200,000 To Instal". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 4 September 1922. p. 3. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  27. ↑ "North Sydney's Streets". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 5 March 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "North Sydney Light". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 7 May 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  29. ↑ "Lighting The Northern Suburbs". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 21 March 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  30. ↑ "North Sydney Lighting". Sydney Morning Herald . 7 March 1913. p. 10. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  31. 1 2 "Municipal Electric Light". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 28 April 1908. p. 9. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "A New Fuel-Saver". Sydney Morning Herald . 9 October 1897. p. 5. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "Electric Lighting". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 11 August 1903. p. 7. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  34. ↑ "Municipal Electric Light Scheme". Sydney Morning Herald . 12 December 1906. p. 11. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  35. ↑ "Advertising". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 9 December 1899. p. 12. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  36. 1 2 "Light and Power". Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative . 23 November 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  37. ↑ "The City Electric Light Installation". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser . 13 July 1904. p. 98. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  38. 1 2 "Extending The City Lighting". Sydney Morning Herald . 21 October 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  39. ↑ "The Electric Light". Sydney Morning Herald . 23 February 1905. p. 3. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  40. ↑ "Electric Lighting Of Paddington". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 7 March 1905. p. 3. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  41. ↑ "Electric Light At The Glebe". Evening News (Sydney) . 8 December 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  42. ↑ "Electric Light And P.s. Corporation". Evening News (Sydney) . 4 February 1911. p. 10. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  43. 1 2 "Electric Light And Power Supply Corporation Ltd". The Mercury (Hobart) . 9 November 1921. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  44. ↑ "Advertising - Electric Light And Power Supply Corporation Limited. Abridged Prospectus Of £50,000 In Second Issue Debentures Of £100 Each". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 26 September 1912. p. 13. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  45. ↑ "Trade And Finance". The Register (Adelaide) . 28 November 1916. p. 8. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  46. 1 2 "Electricity v. CAS". The Sun (Sydney) . 6 April 1921. p. 9. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  47. ↑ "First Gas Lamp". libraries.willoughby.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  48. ↑ Phillips, Valmai (1992). The Good Old Days - Reminiscences of early Chatswood and Willoughby. City of Willoughby. p. 10.
  49. ↑ "Manly Electric Light". Sydney Morning Herald . 13 September 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  50. ↑ "Council Accepts Electricity From the City Five Votes To Three. Blacktown-St. Marys-Penrith Chain Complete". Nepean Times . 17 May 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  51. 1 2 3 "Sydney's Electric Supply". Construction and Local Government Journal . 10 December 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  52. 1 2 "A Brief History of the Electrical Utilities of New South Wales" (PDF). IEEE. 2007. pp. 2–7.
  53. ↑ "The City Electric Light Installation". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser . 13 July 1904. p. 98. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  54. ↑ "Australian Gaslight Company". Sydney Morning Herald . 30 January 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  55. 1 2 Koziol, Michael (16 June 2023). "Covered in graffiti, these buildings all look the same. A Sydney council wants them heritage listed". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  56. 1 2 "Street View Image - 83 Norton St, Ashfield, NSW". Google Maps. 26 November 2023.
  57. 1 2 "Substation 1446 at 33a College Street, Newtown Sydney built in 1933". alamy.
  58. ↑ "A Century Of Gas". Construction and Real Estate Journal . 16 February 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  59. 1 2 3 "Powerhouse Collection - Electric Light & Power Supply statement". collection.powerhouse.com.au. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  60. ↑ "Price Of Gas". Canberra Times . 7 September 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  61. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rationing From Tonight". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 14 October 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  62. ↑ Pitt, Helen (29 September 2019). "'An electrical engineers' sacred site': Island powerhouse restored". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  63. 1 2 3 "Bunnerong. Now In Operation. Gigantic Undertaking". Sydney Morning Herald . 3 January 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  64. ↑ "Sydney County Council". Construction. 13 July 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  65. ↑ "An Investor's Diary". Sydney Morning Herald . 23 June 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  66. ↑ "Big Light Deal Off". Daily Mirror (Sydney) . 23 July 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  67. 1 2 "Sydney's Electric Trams". Australian Star . 5 July 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  68. ↑ "Oatley Honored". The Sun (Sydney) . 1 October 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  69. ↑ "The Ultimo Power House". Evening News (Sydney) . 21 August 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  70. ↑ "White Bay Power-House". The Sun (Sydney) . 3 November 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  71. ↑ "The Railways & Tramways". Australian Town and Country Journal . 14 August 1918. p. 23. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  72. ↑ "Law Court Reports". Sydney Morning Herald . 13 May 1949. p. 9. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  73. 1 2 3 Thornton, Kenneth David (2015). The Electricity Commission Of New South Wales and its place in the rise of centralised coordination of bulk electricity generation and transmission 1888 - 2003 (Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy (History)). University of Newcastle (New South Wales). pp. 90–96.
  74. 1 2 "Wasteful Growth Of Sydney's Power". The Sun (Sydney) . 14 November 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  75. ↑ "Electricity". Sydney Morning Herald . 18 November 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  76. 1 2 Thornton, Kenneth David (2015). The Electricity Commission Of New South Wales and its place in the rise of centralised coordination of bulk electricity generation and transmission 1888 - 2003 (Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy (History)). University of Newcastle (New South Wales). p. 93.
  77. ↑ "First Machine Of Its Kind In World". Newcastle Sun . 15 May 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  78. ↑ "Proposed Frequency Changer". Sydney Morning Herald . 30 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  79. ↑ "Country Power Stations Helped Sydney". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate . 17 January 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  80. ↑ "Balmain Electric Light". Sydney Morning Herald . 11 November 1908. p. 12. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  81. ↑ "The Wonders of Bunnerong". The Australian Worker . Sydney, NSW. 6 April 1932. p. 18. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  82. ↑ "Electricity". Sydney Morning Herald . 29 November 1929. p. 9. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  83. ↑ "Award Altered". The Sun (Sydney) . 31 October 1935. p. 27. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  84. ↑ "City Electricity Changeover". Sydney Morning Herald . 13 March 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  85. ↑ "Holes will mar Sydney streets for years to come". The Sun (Sydney) . 19 September 1951. p. 15. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  86. ↑ "Powerhouse Collection - Switch that terminated Sydney's DC electricity supply". collection.powerhouse.com.au. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  87. ↑ "New Lighting". Sydney Morning Herald . 2 November 1935. p. 16. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  88. ↑ "Coal Strike Developements [sic]: Heavy Industries Begin To Close Down; Gas In Sight Till Monday". Sydney Morning Herald . 19 March 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  89. 1 2 ""Back-room" Magic Cuts City Blackouts". Sydney Morning Herald . 21 November 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  90. ↑ "Power Plant Damaged By Explosions". Illawarra Daily Mercury . 12 May 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  91. ↑ "Another Bunnerong Failure". The Sun (Sydney) . 14 February 1947. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  92. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thornton, Kenneth David (2015). The Electricity Commission Of New South Wales and its place in the rise of centralised coordination of bulk electricity generation and transmission 1888 - 2003 (Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy (History)). University of Newcastle (New South Wales). pp. 70–174.
  93. 1 2 3 "The New Balmain Power Station, First Extra High Pressure Steam Power Station In Australia". Construction. 9 April 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  94. ↑ "Balmain Power Rate Unchanged". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 31 July 1947. p. 11. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  95. ↑ "Decision Soon On Proposed Power Switch". Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers' Advocate . 18 May 1949. p. 8. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  96. ↑ "Power COs. May Merge". Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 12 May 1948. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  97. 1 2 "Power Deal Will Be Opposed". Sydney Morning Herald . 27 October 1950. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  98. 1 2 "Mr. Conde's Plans". Sydney Morning Herald . 3 May 1949. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  99. ↑ Parliament of New South Wales. "Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, First Schedule - Grouping of areas".
  100. ↑ Wong, Marcus (18 July 2011). "Powering inner Melbourne: the forgotten Municipal Electricity Undertakings". Waking up in Geelong. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  101. 1 2 "Balmain Plant To Be Nationalised". Sydney Morning Herald . 17 October 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  102. ↑ "Electricity Commission (Balmain Electric Light Company Purchase) Act. Act No. 40, 1950". 23 November 1950.
  103. 1 2 "What Price Mr. Conde?". Smith's Weekly . 14 January 1950. p. 11. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  104. ↑ "Big Rises In Industrial Stock Tasmanian Investors Gain Recovery Benefit". The Mercury (Hobart) . 22 February 1950. p. 16. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  105. ↑ "Calling In Of 4 p.c. Loan Securities Did Not Take Stock Exchange By Surprise". The Mercury (Hobart) . 1 November 1950. p. 16. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  106. ↑ "Mr. H, G. Conde New Electricity Commission Head". Canberra Times . 16 May 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  107. ↑ Vallance, Sarah, "Harold Graydon Conde (1898–1959)", Australian Dictionary of Biography , Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 22 October 2023
  108. ↑ "Mr. Conde And Our Blackout Burdens". Truth (Sydney). 2 March 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  109. ↑ Thornton, Kenneth David (2015). The Electricity Commission Of New South Wales and its place in the rise of centralised coordination of bulk electricity generation and transmission 1888 - 2003 (Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy (History)). University of Newcastle (New South Wales). pp. 127–130.
  110. ↑ "Blackouts Era Of The Past". Lithgow Mercury . 15 January 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  111. ↑ "Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Ltd v Electricity Commission of NSW [1956] HCA 22; 94 CLR 554". May 1956.
  112. ↑ "Prospect County Council". Biz. 16 July 1958. p. 24. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  113. ↑ "Country Council Chairman's Review". Cumberland Argus . 21 August 1957. p. 1. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  114. ↑ "Street View Image - 6 William St, Leichhardt, NSW 2040, Australia". Google Maps. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  115. ↑ "Street View image - 2 Mort St, Balmain NSW 2041, Australia". Google Maps. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  116. ↑ "Street View Image - 15 Reynolds Ave, Rozelle NSW 2039, Australia". Google Maps. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  117. ↑ "Street View Image - 4 Junior Sr, Leichhardt, NSW". Google Maps.
  118. ↑ Koziol, Michael (21 June 2023). "Sydney heritage plans vetoed amid push to encourage future development". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  119. ↑ "Search for documents relating to Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation". search.records.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
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.