North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company

North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Act 1900
North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Act 1900
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	63 & 64 Vict. c. cclxxvi
Dates
Royal assent	6 August 1900
Other legislation
Repealed by	North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply (Consolidation) Act 1928
Status: Repealed

North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company
Company type	Public company
Industry	Electricity supply
Founded	1900
Defunct	31 March 1948
Fate	Nationalisation
Successor	British Electricity Authority, Eastern Electricity Board
Area served	North London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire
Products	Electricity

Last updated February 14, 2024

The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company provided electricity to the northern suburbs of London and to parts of Hertfordshire and Essex. Supplies of electricity commenced in 1907 and continued until the company was abolished in 1948 when the British electricity supply industry was nationalized.

Background

The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company (Northmet) was established in 1900 under the provisions of the North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict. c. cclxxvi).^[1] The act empowered the company to construct a power station at Enfield (Brimsdown) and to supply electricity to the boroughs and towns of: Hendon, Barnet, Edmonton, Ware, Hertford, Hatfield, Welwyn, St. Albans, Chingford and Walthamstow. This encompassed an area of 325 square miles. Further Acts of 1902, 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1909 extended the area of supply and permitted the company to purchase the power station at Willesden (Taylors Lane).^[1] Electric current was first supplied to Edmonton on 1 July 1907.

Directors

The directors of the company in 1923 were:^[2]

Emile Garcke (chairman)
William L Magden
Sir Alexander Roger
Charles G. Tegetmeier
Sir James Devonshire (managing director)

Associated companies

The North Metropolitan Power Station Company Limited owned Brimsdown power station which was operated under lease by the Northmet Power Company.^[1]

The North Metropolitan Electrical Power Distribution Company was registered on 19 April 1899. It was formed to supply electricity, which it took from a bulk supply from the North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company. Electricity was supplied to Hertford, Barnet, Enfield and St. Albans. The distribution company was vested into the Northmet Electric Power Company in December 1922.^[3]

Operations

Before the First World War Northmet was supplying tramway systems, the underground railway as well as several boroughs and towns.^[4]

The electricity sold, and the revenue, over the period 1908-12 was as follows.

Electricity sales and revenue 1908-12^[1]
Year	Revenue £	Working cost £	Units sold MWh
1908	74,304	43,150	14,069
1909	87,833	44,491	16,402
1910	111,309	50,185	21,422
1911	131,131	60,590	26,454
1912	140,522	71,292	29,231

By 1915 Northmet was operating power stations at Brimsdown, Willesden (Taylors Lane), Hertford and St. Albans. Outline details of these stations is summarised in the table, for full details see articles for individual power stations (See also below).

Northmet power stations 1915^[1]
Station	Brimsdown	Willesden	Hertford	St. Albans
Steam lb/hr	130,000	98,250	3 boilers
Generators	3 × 1 MW 1 × 2 MW 1 × 3 MW 2 × 100 kW 2 × 50 kW	2 × 300 kW 1 × 600 kW 1 × 750 kW 1 × 1 MW 2 × 1.2 MW 1 × 3 MW	3 × 100 kW 1 × 500 kW 1 × 200 kW	4 × 48 kW 4 × 48 kW 2 × 36 kW
Supply	10,500 V 3-phase, 50 Hz	10,500 V 3-phase, 50 Hz 2,750-2,950 V 3-phase 50 Hz	LT and HT
Cooling		Spray cooling and 5 chimney cooling towers		Klein cooling towers

In the interwar period Northmet developed domestic, commercial and industrial consumers. By 1939 it employed 4,300 staff, had 4,648 miles of mains spread over an area of 671 square miles and served a population of 1.5 million.^[4]

The specification of the Northmet generating plant in 1923 is outlined below.

Northmet power stations 1923^[3]
Station	Brimsdown	Willesden	Hertford	St. Albans
Steam lb/hr	290,000	248,000	24,000	18,000
Generators	1 × 3 MW 2 × 5 MW (Total 13 MW AC)	3 × 1.5 MW 1 × 3 MW 2 × 6 MW 1 × 0.75 MW DC (Total 19.5 MW AC, 0.75 MW DC)	1 × 0.5 MW 1 × 1.0 MW 1 × 0.1 MW DC (Total 1.5 MW AC, 0.1 MW DC)	2 × 75 kW DC 2 × 150 kW DC 2 × 240 kW DC 1 × 500 kW DC (Total 1.43MW DC)
Supply	3-phase, 50 Hz, 11 & 6.6 kV, 415 & 240 V and DC 460 & 230 V DC		3-phase, 50 Hz, 415 & 240 V AC and 460 & 230V DC	3-phase, 50 Hz 415 & 240 V AC and 460 & 230V DC
Maximum load kW	26,500		630	1,322
Total electricity sold MWh	62,315		838	1,982

A summary of the generating capacity of the Northmet system in 1937 is shown on the following table.

Northmet electricity generation and sales 1937^[5]
Station	Brimsdown A	Brimsdown B	Willesden
Steam lb/hr	160,000	120,000	414,000
Generators total	34 MW	107.5 MW	38.5 MW
Maximum load kW	235,980
Total electricity sold MWh	636,585

The authorized undertakings supplied by Northmet were Barnet, Bishops Stortford, Edmonton, Enfield, Hertford, Kingsbury, St. Albans, Southgate, Stevenage, Tottenham, Wood Green, Epping Rural, Harrow, and Wealdstone.^[5]

Northmet electricity output in the post-war period was as follows.

Northmet electricity sent out 1946-50^[6]
MWh	Brimsdown A	Brimsdown B	Willesden
1946	96,643	490,564	223,694
1947	123,754	463,339	185,573
1948	172,286	427,661	282,544
1950	157,207	488,663	201,650

Abolition

The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company was abolished on 31 March 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalized the British electricity supply industry. The generating plant was vested in the British Electricity Authority and the distribution infrastructure in the Eastern Electricity Board.^[6]

Generation of electricity at Willesden (Taylors Lane) and Brimsdown power stations continued until 1972 and 1976 respectively.^[7]

Related Research Articles

Brimsdown Industrial Estate is located to the east of the residential part of Brimsdown in the London Borough of Enfield. The estate, which lies in the Lea Valley, is bordered to the west by the West Anglia Main Line portion of the Lea Valley Lines and to the east by the River Lea and King George V Reservoir. A number of businesses are located here including Warburtons Enfield bakery, warehousing and retail, and heavier industry such as Johnson Matthey, UOP and the Enfield Power Station.

Brimsdown Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the Lee Navigation at Brimsdown in Middlesex. The station had seven cooling towers which were visible from a wide area.

Acton Lane Power Station was a power station in London NW10. The station, also known as Willesden power station, was located to the south of the Euston to Birmingham railway on a site bounded by Acton Lane, the Grand Union Canal and the Dudding Hill railway line. In later years the site was extended to the south side of the canal. The entire site is now occupied by Willesden Grid Supply Point buildings.

Taylors Lane Power Station is situated in Willesden, north-west London. The first power station on the site, known as Willesden power station, was coal-fired and operated from 1904 to 1972 and was subsequently demolished. Taylors Lane is now an open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power station built in 1979.

The City of London Electric Lighting Company Limited (CLELCo) was a British electricity undertaking. It was formed in July 1891 to generate and supply electricity to the City of London and part of north Southwark. It owned and operated Bankside power station on the south bank of the river Thames. The company provided and stimulated demand for electricity, increased its generating capacity, and competed and co-operated with other electricity undertakings in London. The company was dissolved on 1 April 1948 when the British electricity industry was nationalised.

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.

Burnley power station supplied electricity to the town of Burnley, Lancashire from 1893 to 1958. The electricity station was owned and operated by Burnley Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948. It was redeveloped as demand for electricity grew and old plant was replaced, and had an ultimate generating capacity of 8 MW in the 1920s. The station closed in 1958.

Lymington power station supplied electricity to the town of Lymington, Hampshire and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1959. The electricity generating station was owned and operated by a succession of electricity companies prior to nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The station was initially coal-fired but later oil engines were installed. Lymington power station was closed on 31 March 1959.

Nelson power station supplied electricity to the town of Nelson, Lancashire and the surrounding area from 1892 to 1960. The power station was owned and operated by Nelson Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped in 1922 to 1925 to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Stockport power station supplied electricity to the town of Stockport, Cheshire and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1976. The power station was owned and operated by Stockport Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Warrington power station supplied electricity to the town of Warrington, Lancashire and the surrounding area from about 1900 to 1979. The power station was initially developed by the Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited, this was taken over by Warrington Corporation, which operated the power station prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

The Scottish Power Company Limited was an electricity industry holding company that operated from 1909 until 1948. Its subsidiary companies generated and supplied electricity to up to 136,800 consumers in an area of 13,000 square miles over large parts of Scotland.

The Midland Electric Corporation for Power Distribution Limited was registered in 1897 to carry out the business of an electricity supply company. It supplied electricity to an area of 75 square miles in the West Midlands, and operated a power station at Ocker Hill, Tipton. The corporation was abolished in 1948 when the UK electricity supply industry was nationalised.

The Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited was established in 1881 to build and operate an electric lighting installation in Leamington Spa and Birmingham, England. It was abolished upon nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.

The Market Drayton Electric Light and Power Company Limited was established in 1902 to provide electricity to Market Drayton, Shropshire, England and the surrounding area. It was abolished upon nationalization of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Hinckley power station supplied electricity to the town of Hinckley and the wider Leicestershire area from 1913. It was operated by the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company Limited until nationalization of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station continued operation until the early 1950s.

The Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in parts of the English midland counties of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1913 until the nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.

The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in the English midland counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1904 until its abolition upon the nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Electricity Company was a British electricity supply company that provided electricity to consumers in the English counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and the Isle of Ely. The company was established in 1925 and was abolished in 1948 upon the nationalization of the British electricity supply industry.

The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority supplied electricity to an extensive area of North Wales and parts of Cheshire and Shropshire. As constituted in 1923 the Joint Authority transferred all its rights to distribution of electricity in the area to the North Wales Power Company. The authority was effectively the power company. Both the joint authority and the power company were abolished in 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Garcke, Emile (1915). Manual of Electrical undertakings, 1914-15 Vol 18. London: Electrical Press Limited. pp. 741–47.
↑ "The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company". The Times. 23 April 1923. p. 16.
1 2 Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply 1920-22. London: HMSO. pp. E188-95, F460-65.
1 2 Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 221. ISBN 0333220862.
1 2 Electricity Commission (1939). Electricity Supply 1937-38. London: HMSO. pp. E224-27, F558-563.
1 2 Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply, 1950-51 Vol 48. London: Electrical Press Limited. 1952. pp. A-36, A-118–9, A-126, A-142.
↑ CEGB Statistical Yearbooks various dates

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Garcke, Emile (1915). Manual of Electrical undertakings, 1914-15 Vol 18. London: Electrical Press Limited. pp. 741–47.

[2] "The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company". The Times. 23 April 1923. p. 16.

[:1-3] 1 2 Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply 1920-22. London: HMSO. pp. E188-95, F460-65.

[:2-4] 1 2 Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 221. ISBN 0333220862.

[:3-5] 1 2 Electricity Commission (1939). Electricity Supply 1937-38. London: HMSO. pp. E224-27, F558-563.

[:4-6] 1 2 Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply, 1950-51 Vol 48. London: Electrical Press Limited. 1952. pp. A-36, A-118–9, A-126, A-142.

[7] CEGB Statistical Yearbooks various dates

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