Newton Abbot power station

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Jetty Marsh Power Station
Newton Abbot Power Station.jpg
View of the Power Station taken in 1962
Newton Abbot power station
Official nameNewton Abbot Power Station
CountryEngland
Location Newton Abbot, Devon
Coordinates 50°32′01″N3°36′03″W / 50.5336°N 3.6008°W / 50.5336; -3.6008
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Commission date 1898
Decommission date1974
Operator(s)Torquay Corporation, Urban Electricity Supply Company Limited, British Electricity Authority (1948–55), Central Electricity Authority (1955–57), Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–74)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Power generation
Units decommissionedAll
Nameplate capacity
  • 52.5 MW
Annual net output see text

The Newton Abbot power station was a power station originally built in 1898 at Jetty Marsh, Newton Abbot as a small station to serve the local community. It was subsequently significantly expanded, and changed from direct current to alternating current when bought by the Torquay corporation in the 1920s to provide power across a wider area towards the coast. [1]

Contents

It reached its peak capacity of 52.5 megawatts in 1948 - the same year that it was nationalised. The station was used less from the mid-1960s as more efficient plant was used via the national grid, and it was finally closed in 1974 with demolition following shortly after. The site is now a housing estate.

History

From the late 1890s, both Newton Abbot and Torquay developed their own electricity generating capacity to serve the local areas. The Newton Abbot Electricity Generating Station was established with all direct current (DC) supply, being used mainly for industrial loads. [2]

The site was located at Jetty Marsh, adjacent to the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway branch of the Great Western Railway, and between the River Teign and River Lemon. This allowed the station to receive coal deliveries both by rail, and by barge at the jetty. The power station also drew water from the Teign, before discharging it again in the Lemon.

In 1923, the station was operated by the Urban Electricity Supply Company Limited. [3] The electricity plant comprised 3 ×90 kW and 1 × 250 kW reciprocating engines and generators producing 240 & 480 V DC. In 1923, the station generated 708,402 kWh of electricity, some of this was used in the plant, the total amount sold was 526,171 kWh. The revenue from sales of current was £4,332, this gave a surplus of revenue over expenses of £1,029. [3]

In the 1920s, the Torquay Corporation acquired the Newton Abbot power station, and built a new station to replace their aging unit at Beacon Quay on Torquay seafront. The new station, serving both Newton Abbot and Torquay, was opened in 1924, and was continually expanded until the last major investment in 1948. During the development of the high-pressure section of the power station in 1940, a single, large cooling tower was built to satisfy the condenser demands of the new boilers, and this was a dominant feature of the Newton Abbot Skyline. [1] The cooling tower had a rated capacity of 1,000,000 gallons per hour (1.26 m3/s)

The plant at the station comprised: [4]

In 1948, electricity supply was nationalised, and the station became the responsibility of the British Electricity Authority (1948-1955) then the Central Electricity Authority (1955-1957) and finally the Central Electricity Generating Board (1958-1974). The electricity distribution and sales functions of the local authority were vested in the South Western Electricity Board. Once connected to the national grid, it was a smaller and less efficient station, and usage gradually declined, including long periods of 'cold' shutdown. In 1972, the output from the station was 27.106 GWh, and the load as a percentage of the output capacity was 8.8 percent. [5]

In early 1972, coal supply issues led to problems in running the station, [6] and by March, the CEGB announced that the station was likely to close completely by 1974, although this was dismissed by unions. [7]

The station stopped producing electricity in 1973, before being formally closed in March 1974, marked by a ceremony with a plaque handed over to the town council. [8] It was demolished shortly after, and by 1978 the power station site was completely cleared, with rubble used in other local building projects. [9]

A Bellis and Morcom steam generating engine was preserved and survives at Poldark Mine museum in Cornwall, where it has been since 1972. Of the triple expansion type, it is believed to date from 1920. [10]

Installed generating capacity over time

YearDC Generation (kw)AC Generation (kw)Notes
1898120-3 x 40 kW
1920520-+2 x 200 kW
1924(200 SBy)6250+2x1250 Ex Torquay + 1 x 3750 kW
1926(200 Sby)10000+1 x 3750 kW
1929(200 SBy)17500+1 x 7500 kW
1930(200 SBy)15000-2 x 1250 kW
1931(200 SBy)22500+1 x 7500 kW
1941(200 SBy)37500+1 x 15000 kW
1948(200 SBy)52500+1 x 15000 kW
1959(200 SBy)52000-500 kW Boilers Decommissioned
197245000
197400Closed

The output of the station is shown below. [4] [5] [11] [12]

Newton Abbot electricity output
YearOutput GWhRunning hours (load factor %)
194693.88(28.2 %)
1955109.3415164
195699.1174702
1957111.8245882
1958105.6746008
196136.73
196222.85
196345.2
196778.81(18.7 %)
197227.106

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References

  1. 1 2 "Power house for the neighbours". Western Morning News. 8 June 2010.
  2. "Newton Abbot Power Station".
  3. 1 2 Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply - 1920-1923. London: HMSO. pp. 216–19, 496–501.
  4. 1 2 Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol.56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-80, A-128.
  5. 1 2 CEGB (1972). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 11.
  6. "S Devon firms try to avoid lay-offs". Herald Express. 12 February 1972.
  7. "Shocks from the power station". Herald Express. 24 March 1972.
  8. "Fifty years in the history of Newton Abbot power station". Herald Express. 21 March 1974.
  9. "They've certainly spread old power station around". Herald Express. 22 June 1978.
  10. Poldark Mining Ltd Wendron Forge guide book by G Watkins and S E Young 1979
  11. CEGB, Annual report and accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  12. Electricity Commission, Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31st December 1946. London: HMSO, 1947.