Pyrmont Power Station

Pyrmont Power Station
Pyrmont Power Station
	Pyrmont ('B') Power Station before demolition
Country	Australia
Location	Pyrmont, New South Wales
Coordinates	33°52′05″S151°11′39″E / 33.868000°S 151.194250°E
Status	Decommissioned
Owner(s)	Municipal Council of Sydney, Electricity Department; Sydney County Council; Electricity Commission of NSW
	[ edit on Wikidata]

Last updated April 03, 2024

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

Sydney Electric Lighting Station

The power station was built by the Electric Lighting Department of the Municipal Council of Sydney, and began operations in 1904 as the Sydney Electric Lighting Station. The original equipment included three Ferranti cross compound reciprocating steam engines, one of 500 horsepower (hp) and two of 1,000 hp, each of which drove a three-phase alternator from Dick, Kerr & Co. for a total output of approximately 1,500 kilovolt-amperes (kVA). In 1905, two additional triple expansion 1,000 hp engines coupled to Dick Kerr 600 kW alternators were commissioned, increasing total capacity to approximately 2,700 KW.^[1] Steam was supplied by 5 Babcock & Wilcox WIF chain grate boilers, each 10,000 lb/hr at 160 psi. The five reciprocating engines were relegated to emergency use from 1911 and retired in 1916.

Turbo-alternators

Low-pressure plant: two Willans & Robinson / Dick, Kerr & Co. turbo-alternators were commissioned in 1907 (Nos 6+7), each with a capacity of 2 MW. Steam was supplied by 4 Stirling boilers whose smoke exhausted to the original chimney. This plant remained in service until 1920, when the two turbo-generators were relocated at Ultimo PS as No3+4 and the four boilers were demolished to make room for the high-pressure plant. In 1909 No 2 engine house was built to the southern side of the original engine house and provided room for more turbines. 2 Willans & Robinson 4 MW reaction turbines were added in 1910(Nos8+9). Another Willans & Robinson 4 MW reaction turbo-alternator was added in 1912(No10). 1 AEG 5 MW impulse turbine was added in 1914(No11). This turbo alternator had a short life and was replaced. Steam was supplied by 6 Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired watertube boilers; each produced 24,000 lb per hour(1908) and in 1913 another 6 boilers each producing 27,000 lb/Hr at 160 psi in Boiler House No2. These boilers were natural draft and exhausted into two large chimneys. The resultant lack of efficient combustion meant that the pollution(black smoke) from the stations' three chimneys was very bad. Total station capacity was increased to 14.7 MW including the reciprocating engines. In 1915 two Babcock+Wilcox cross drum forced draft boilers each with an output of 40,000 lb/hr and a 5 MW AEG generator(No11) were added.^[1] The low pressure plant remained in service until 1937 when other power stations (Bunnerong) came on line.

High-pressure plant: in 1919, engine house No 1 was stripped of the reciprocating plant to allow the installation of larger turbines. One Metro-Vickers 8 MW generator was added in 1921,(No15). Two Metro-Vickers 12 MW generators were added in 1922,(Nos 13+14). One Fraser+Chalmers 12 MW generator(No17) and 1 Thompson 17.5 MW machine (No16) were added in 1924. Steam was supplied by 8 Babcock & Wilcox balanced-draft cross-drum boilers, each producing 65,000 lb/hr at 250 psi and 630 °F in Boiler House No3, to the north of the original building. 'A' Station capacity had increased to 75 MW by 1924^[1] (excluding the decommissioned reciprocating engine-driven plant).

The 1904–1924 installation became known as Pyrmont 'A' Station as the site was expanded.^[2]^[3] This plant was retired in 1956 when Pyrmont "B" was put into commercial production.

Direct current supply

Dynamotors were provided at Town Hall and Lang Park to supply direct current to customers. Alternating current was adopted as the new standard from 1930, although the first AC substation did not come into use until 1935. The AC system was not completed until c. 1958. No new DC customers were accepted after 1935, but the existing supply continued, albeit with mercury-arc rectifiers in later years, until 1985.

Sydney County Council

In 1936, all functions of the Electricity Department of the Municipal Council of Sydney were transferred to a new body, known as the Sydney County Council (SCC), which was formed in 1935. The Sydney County Council would be responsible for the supply of electricity to numerous constituent municipalities in the greater Sydney region. The constituent municipal councils elected and controlled the new body. This arrangement continued until 1952, when the SCC's generation responsibilities were transferred to the Electricity Commission of New South Wales.

Pyrmont 'B' Station

By the late 1930s, the first turbo-alternators were nearing the end of their useful lives, and it was decided to redevelop the power station in 1938. In 1942, the SCC accepted the tender of Australian General Electric to supply a single 50-megawatt (MW), 50 Hz turbo-alternator manufactured by Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company Limited of Trafford Park, Manchester, England; the order was confirmed in 1944. This order was doubled in 1945, then doubled again in 1947, to a total of four 50 MW Range-units. These units generated current at 33 kV, which was also the transmission voltage, as there was no room for step-up transformers. Steam was supplied by 4 International Combustion Limited 'Lopulco' Pulverised fuel boilers each producing 430,000 lbs of steam per hour at 1250 psi and 950 °F.^[1] Delayed by a post-Second World War backlog, the first 50 MW turbo-alternator arrived from England in 1948, but the new building designed to house it, construction of which commenced in 1947, was not ready. The first of the 50 MW units was not commissioned until 1952, five years behind schedule, and the fourth unit was in service by 1955.

When completed in 1955, Pyrmont 'B' was rated at 200 megawatts, making it the largest of the five power stations which existed in the inner Sydney area. Bunnerong Power Station, also formerly operated by the SCC, was much larger, but outside the inner city area. Pyrmont became an emergency generator from the 1970s onwards, as newer power stations were brought into use.

'B' Station was decommissioned in 1983 (along with White Bay Power Station). The station had little more than twenty years in regular use, and ten years as a peak loader or on stand by.

Electricity Commission of New South Wales

From 1936 to 1952, Pyrmont was run by the Sydney County Council (SCC), which had assumed control of the Municipal Council of Sydney's generating assets. The Electricity Commission of New South Wales, formed in 1950, took control of Pyrmont on 1 January 1952, becoming its third and final operator.

Demolition

After remaining derelict for almost a decade, the power station site was redeveloped as the Star City Casino (now "The Star"), which was opened in 1995 with a gala opening featuring an outdoor performance by Diana Ross. Part of the 'A' Station facade remains at the Star site, on Pyrmont Street near Jones Bay Road, but the much larger 'B' Station structure was completely demolished in 1993.

Related Research Articles

Bunnerong Power Station was a coal-fired power station in the south-eastern Sydney suburb of Matraville, New South Wales, Australia that was decommissioned by 1975 and subsequently demolished. When the last generating units were commissioned, it was the largest power station in the southern hemisphere, with a capacity of 375 megawatts (MW) from eleven turbo-alternators. It was able to supply up to one third of the state's electricity needs at the time. It remained the most powerful until the completion of Vales Point Power Station in 1966.

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.

The Ultimo Power Station, or Ultimo Powerhouse, was an electricity generating plant located in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Ultimo, New South Wales. Commissioned in 1899, it was the first major power station in Sydney and was originally built to supply power for the electric tram network. Prior to this, a small installation had existed at Regent Street, which was brought into use on 15 June 1882. Additionally, experimental electric tram operations powered by small generators had been in intermittent use in Sydney since 1890.

Portsmouth power station supplied electricity to Portsmouth and the surrounding area from 1894 to until 1977. The power station was built and operated by Portsmouth Corporation and started supplying electricity on 6 June 1894. It was located in St Mary Street and was redeveloped several times: including major rebuilds in 1927–29 and in 1938–1952, and expanded into a larger plot. The power station was closed in 1977; the two chimneys were demolished in 1981 and the main buildings in 1982.

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.

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.

Burton upon Trent power station supplied electricity to the town of Burton upon Trent and the wider area from 1894 to 1976. It was owned and operated by Burton upon Trent 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 1910s, in 1924–28 and 1941–43. The station was decommissioned in October 1976.

Barrow-in-Furness power station supplied electricity to the town of Barrow-in-Furness and the wider area of Lancashire, England from 1899 to about 1960. It was owned and operated by Barrow-in-Furness Corporation until the nationalisation of the UK electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped throughout its operational life. Barrow-in-Furness Corporation also operated Coniston hydro-electric power station.

Halifax power station supplied electricity to the town of Halifax and the wider area from 1894 to the 1960s. It was owned and operated by Halifax Corporation until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times and at its peak had a generating capacity of 48 MW.

Reading power station, Berkshire, England supplied electricity to the town of Reading and the surrounding area from 1895 to the 1960s. It was initially owned and operated by the Reading Electric Supply Company Limited, then from 1933 by the Reading Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times with new equipment replacing retired plant. The station was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

Salisbury power station supplied electricity to the English city of Salisbury and the surrounding area from 1898 to c. 1970. It was owned and operated by Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times to incorporate new plant to replace retired equipment. The facilities included a water driven turbine.

Greenhill power station supplied electricity to the town of Oldham, England and the surrounding area from 1921 to 1960. It replaced the older Rhodes Bank generating station and was superseded by Chadderton B power station. Greenhill power station was owned and operated by Oldham Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was built over the period 1921–24 and was decommissioned in 1960.

The Cardiff power stations supplied electricity to the City of Cardiff and the surrounding area from 1894 to about 1970. The original power station was in Riverside; a larger replacement station was built in Roath in the 1902, initially to supply the tramway system. They were both owned and operated by Cardiff Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The Roath power station was redeveloped in the 1920s and 1940s to meet the increased demand for electricity.

The Newport power stations supplied electricity to the town of Newport and the surrounding area from 1895 to the late 1970s. The original power station was in Llanarth Street which supplied electric lighting; a larger station, known as the East power station, was built in Corporation Road from 1903. They were owned and operated by Newport Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The East power station was redeveloped in the 1920s and 1940s to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Trafford power station supplied electricity to the Trafford and Stretford areas of Greater Manchester, and to the national grid, from 1929 to 1976. The generating station was built by the Stretford and District Electricity Board which it operated until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The 60 megawatt coal-fired station was supplemented in 1952 with an experimental 15 megawatt gas turbine generating set.

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.

Woking power station supplied electricity to the Borough of Woking and the surrounding area from 1890 to 1960. The power station was operated by the Woking Electric Supply Company Limited until the nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948. It was redeveloped after the First World War to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Bristol power stations supplied electricity to the City of Bristol and the surrounding area from 1893 to 1959. Temple Back and Avonbank power stations were built by the Bristol Corporation which operated them up to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

Tunbridge Wells power station supplied electricity to the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area from 1895 to 1968. The power station was built by the Tunbridge Wells Corporation which operated it until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.

References

1 2 3 4 Fetscher, Mark (2004). The Power Stations of the Sydney County Council. M Fetscher. ISBN 978-0-9750063-2-0.
↑ Brian Maher. The Story of Electrical Energy.
↑ Anderson, Gordon F (1955). Fifty years of electricity supply : the story of Sydney's electricity undertaking. Sydney County Council.

33°52.1′S151°11.7′E / 33.8683°S 151.1950°E / -33.8683; 151.1950

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.

[SCC-Fetscher-1] 1 2 3 4 Fetscher, Mark (2004). The Power Stations of the Sydney County Council. M Fetscher. ISBN 978-0-9750063-2-0.

[2] Brian Maher. The Story of Electrical Energy.

[3] Anderson, Gordon F (1955). Fifty years of electricity supply : the story of Sydney's electricity undertaking. Sydney County Council.

[1]

[2]

[3]