South of Scotland Electricity Board

Last updated

South of Scotland Electricity Board
FormerlySouth West Scotland Electricity Board, South East Scotland Electricity Board
TypeGovernment body
IndustryElectricity generation and supply
Founded1 April 1955
FounderAct of Parliament: Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954
Defunct1991
FatePrivatisation
SuccessorScottish Nuclear, Scottish Power
HeadquartersGlasgow
Area served
South of Scotland
Key people
Sir John Sydney Pickles (Chairman)
ProductsElectric power
Production output
22,321 GWh (1989)
ServicesGeneration and supply of electricity
£32.225 million (1987)
Total assets Electricity generating stations and transmission system
OwnerUK Government (Secretary of State for Scotland)
Number of employees
12,008 (1989)
Parent UK Government
Divisions Distribution areas (see text)

The South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) generated, transmitted and distributed electricity throughout the south of Scotland, including the former regions of Strathclyde, Lothian, Fife, Central, Borders and Dumfries and Galloway and a few towns in northern England. It operated from 1955 to 1991.

Contents

History

As established by the Electricity Act 1947 there were two British Electricity Authority divisions responsible for the generation of electricity in Scotland based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. [1] There were also two area boards for distribution of electricity responsible to the British Electricity Authority and to the Minister of Fuel and Power. It was thought by the industry and government [2] that a single board for the South of Scotland would be better placed to cover the whole area and would provide administrative advantages such as simplification. The South of Scotland would then be in line with the North of Scotland which was covered by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board for both the generation and distribution of electricity. The new arrangement would provide a more efficient service and better match Scotland's needs. [3] [2]

The Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954 transferred to the Secretary of State for Scotland the responsibility for electricity matters in Scotland and established the South of Scotland Electricity Board, a new public authority for the generation and distribution of electricity in the South of Scotland. [3] Scotland was given control of its own electricity undertakings, and the responsibility for adequate performance became the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Scotland. [3] [2] On 1 April 1955, South West Scotland Electricity Board and South East Scotland Electricity Board were merged into the South of Scotland Electricity Board. [4]

The board operated conventional coal-fired steam stations, hydro-electric stations and nuclear power stations. [1]

The board was dissolved in 1991 as a consequence of the Electricity Act 1989 which privatised the British electricity industry. [5]

Constitution

The 1954 Act specified the management board was to comprise a chairman and not less than four and not more than eight members. All appointments to the board were to be made by the Secretary of State for Scotland. [1]

The Board's headquarters were at Sauchiehall Street and Inverlair Avenue Glasgow. [1]

Chairmen

South East Scotland Electricity Board

South West Scotland Electricity Board

South of Scotland Electricity Board

Electricity generation

Electricity generated by the Board was from coal-fired steam power stations, hydro-electric stations, and from 1964 from nuclear power stations. [1]

Steam power stations

Outline details of the Steam power stations of the South of Scotland Electricity Board in 1958 are as follows: [16]

Steam power stations of the South of Scotland Electricity Board (1958)
Power stationLocationSteam raising capacity of boilers, 1000 lb/hrGenerating setsTotal generating capacity, MWSteam condenser, tower or water course, water flowrate
BaronyCumnock Ayrshire3001 × 30 MW30Cooling tower 3 million gallons per hour (mgph)
BonnybridgeStirlingshire6901 × 5 MW, 2 × 12.5 MW, 2 × 20 MW70Cooling tower 3.35 mgph
BraeheadRenfew2,1004 × 50 MW200River Clyde
Clyde’s MillCambuslang Glasgow2,1242 × 18.75 MW, 8 × 30 MW277.5Cooling tower 3.0 mgph
DalmarnockGlasgow2,3602 × 18.75 MW, 2 × 50 MW, 1 × 60 MW197.5River Clyde
DunfermlineFife1541 × 4 MW, 1× 6 MW, 1 × 3 MW13Townhill Loch
FalkirkStirlingshire851 × 1.5 MW, 2 × 3 MW7.5Cooling tower 0.4 mgph
FergusliePaisley1442 × 5 MW, 2 × 3 MW16.25Cooling trough 0.76 mgph
GalashielsSelkirkshire671 × 1.875 MW, 1 × 3.75 MW5.625Rivers Gala and Tweed

The Board commissioned large coal-fired stations such as the 760 MW Kincardine power station (1958), the 1200 MW Inverkip (1967), the 1200 MW Cockenzie power station (1967), and the 2400 MW Longannet power station (1970). [4]

Hydro-electric power stations

Outline details of the Hydro-electric power stations of the South of Scotland Electricity Board in 1958 are as follows: [16]

Hydro-electric power stations of the South of Scotland Electricity Board (1958)
Power stationLocationCommissionedHead of water, feetGenerating setsGenerating capacity, MWElectrical Output (1958), GWh
BonningtonLanark Lanarkshire19371892 × 4.92 MW9.8455.478
CarsfadCastle Douglas

Kirkcudbrightshire

1936652 × 6 MW1218.234
EarlstounCastle Douglas

Kirkcudbrightshire

19362 × 6 MW1221.821
GlenleeCastle Douglas

Kirkcudbrightshire

19353802 × 12 MW2546.72
KendoonCastle Douglas

Kirkcudbrightshire

19361502 × 10.5 MW2144.467
StonebyresLanark Lanarkshire972 × 2.84 MW5.6828.474
TonglandTongland

Kirkcudbrightshire

19353 × 11 MW33.2574.175

Nuclear power stations

The South of Scotland Electricity Board commissioned three nuclear power stations. [17] [18]

South of Scotland nuclear power stations
Power stationReactor typeOutputConstructionCommissionedClosedStatus
Hunterston A Magnox 2 x 180 MWe19571964March 1990Decommissioning
Hunterston B AGR 2 x 610 MWe19681976January 2022Defuelling
Torness AGR2 x 682 MWe19801988Operational

Transmission

The supply of electricity was by high voltage cables. In 1958 there were 170 miles of transmission line operating at 275 kV and 841 miles at 132 kV. [1] They connected 20 power stations and 44 transforming stations. There were connections to the North of Scotland grid system and to England via the 275 kV Clyde’s Mill to Carlisle line. [1] By April 1989 there were 526 km of 400 kV lines; 1,565 km of 275 kV lines; 1,642 km of 132 kV lines; and 80,256 km of less than 132 kV lines. [19]

Distribution areas

Electricity supply to customers was through eight Distribution Areas. The supply and other key data for 1956 were as follows: [16] [1]

South of Scotland Electricity Board distribution areas (1958)
Distribution areaElectricity supplied to grid, MWhMax demand, MWElectricity sold 1956, GWhConsumers
Ayrshire558,761116,180409,298107,194
Clyde1,021,442240,170848,830194,048
Dumfries and Galloway249,98057,820195,30946,774
Edinburgh and Borders1,074,638240,000858,571242,449
Fife463,36986,550337,32198,189
Glasgow1,232,475301,8801,034,764265,802
Lanarkshire1,334,684278,2501,182601216096
Stirling608,293109,200432,11995,807

Operating data 1949 to 1989

Key operating data for the South of Scotland Electricity Board is summarised in the table. [19]

Key operating data for the South of Scotland Electricity Board
YearTotal output capacity, MWMaximum demand, MWCustomers, thousandsEmployeesCapital expenditure, £ millionNet profit, £ million
194988595689452.80.787
19591656175013421275827.40.097
19693837357414781512161.00.632
19766082392515501394170.22.720
19777183430715641367255.222.286
19787572422815691363242.75.618
19797418449615761373052.59.532
19807826422515851365864.70.099
198178264106195613624128.516.531
198263164733160513005287.417.231
198363564009161412720316.544.101
198461884052162812307407.542.567
198562504154164212019376.0–11.94
198662304237165512172368.643.618
198761604406166912339364.332.225
198855184125168212173224.712.69
198967684026170012008158.31.424

The amount of electricity supplied by the board, in GWh, is shown on the graph. [19]

Dissolution

As a consequence of the Electricity Act 1989, which privatised the British electricity industry, the nuclear assets of the South of Scotland Electricity Board were transferred to Scottish Nuclear. [5]

In January 1990 a reactor at the Hunterston A Magnox Power Station was shut down. The second reactor was shut down on 31 March 1990, the day before the nuclear generation assets (Hunterston A, Hunterston B and Torness Power Stations) were vested with Scottish Nuclear. [5]

The remainder of the assets were privatised as Scottish Power in 1991 and the South of Scotland Electricity Board was dissolved. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Power</span> British energy company

Scottish Power is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Electricity</span> Irish energy company

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited (NIE Networks) is the electricity asset owner of the transmission and distribution infrastructure in Northern Ireland, established in 1993 when the business was privatised. NIE Networks does not generate or supply electricity. Since 2010 it has been a subsidiary of ESB Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenaga Nasional</span>

Tenaga Nasional Berhad, also known as Tenaga Nasional or simply Tenaga, is the Malaysian multinational electricity company and is the only electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia and also the largest publicly-listed power company in Southeast Asia with MYR 182.60 billion worth of assets. It serves over 10.3 million customers throughout Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian state of Sabah through Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.

The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for the generation, transmission and sale of electricity to area electricity boards, and the development and maintenance of an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity supply.

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was a body that managed and operated the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1 April 1955 and 31 December 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority (BEA) as a result of the Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954, which moved responsibility for Scottish electricity supply to the Scottish Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity sector in Canada</span>

The electricity sector in Canada has played a significant role in the economic and political life of the country since the late 19th century. The sector is organized along provincial and territorial lines. In a majority of provinces, large government-owned integrated public utilities play a leading role in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Ontario and Alberta have created electricity markets in the last decade to increase investment and competition in this sector of the economy.

Public electricity suppliers (PES) were the fourteen electricity companies created in Great Britain when the electricity market in the United Kingdom was privatised following the Electricity Act 1989. The Utilities Act 2000 subsequently split these companies between distribution network operators and separate supply companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverkip power station</span> Former oil-fired power station in Scotland

Inverkip power station was an oil-fired power station in Inverclyde, on the west coast of Scotland. It was closer to Wemyss Bay than Inverkip, and dominated the local area with its 236 m (774 ft) chimney, the third tallest chimney in the UK and Scotland's tallest free-standing structure. In common with other power stations in Scotland it lacked cooling towers; instead, sea water was used as a coolant. The station consisted of three generating units with a combined total rating of 2028 megawatts (MW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board</span> UK hydroelectric government body (1943–1990)

The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1943–1990) was founded to design, construct and manage hydroelectricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland. It is regarded as one of the major achievements of Scottish politician Thomas Johnston, who chaired the board from 1945 to 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Nuclear</span> Nuclear energy company (1990-1996)

Scottish Nuclear was formed as a precursor to the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Scotland on 1 April 1990. A purpose-built headquarters was built in 1992 in the new town of East Kilbride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunterston A nuclear power station</span> Decommissioned nuclear power plant in Scotland

Hunterston A nuclear power station is a former Magnox nuclear power station located at Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland, adjacent to Hunterston B. The ongoing decommissioning process is being managed by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) subsidiary Magnox Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruachan Power Station</span> Hydroelectric power station in Scotland

The Cruachan Power Station is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The scheme can provide 440 MW of power and produced 705 GWh in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Power Company</span>

The London Power Company was an electricity generating and bulk supply company in London, England, formed in 1925 by the merger of ten small electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the company was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Act 1989</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Electricity Act 1989 provided for the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Great Britain, by replacing the Central Electricity Generating Board in England and Wales and by restructuring the South of Scotland Electricity Board and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. The Act also established a licensing regime and a regulator for the industry called the Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER), which has since become the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breadalbane Hydro-Electric Scheme</span> Multiple power stations in Scotland

The Breadalbane Hydro-Electric Scheme is a hydroelectric scheme in the Breadalbane area of Perthshire, Scotland. It comprises seven power stations which generate 120MW of power from the dams around Loch Lyon, Loch Earn and Loch Tay.

Blackburn power stations are a series of electricity generating stations that have provided electric power to the town of Blackburn and the wider area from 1895 to the present. The first station in Jubilee Street, Blackburn began operating in 1895. A new larger station known as Blackburn East or Whitebirk power station was commissioned in 1921 and was rebuilt in stages over the period 1942 to 1955. Whitebirk station closed in 1976. The 60 MW Blackburn Mill Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station has generated electricity since 2002. The Blackburn energy from waste (EfW) plant is currently (2020) being planned.

The Lancaster power stations provided electricity to the Lancashire town and city of Lancaster and the surrounding area from 1894 to 1976. The first power station was built and operated by Lancaster Corporation and started generating electricity in April 1894. The second power station was built during the First World War near the Lune Aqueduct to provide electric power for a munitions factory. When the factory closed after the war the power station was purchased by the corporation to provide electric power throughout its supply area.

Maentwrog power station was built by the North Wales Power Company and supplied electricity to North Wales, Deeside and Cheshire. It exploits the water resources of the Snowdonia mountains, using water turbines to drive electricity alternators. The 24 MW station has been owned by several organisations; since 2004 it has been owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It generates an annual electricity output of 60.6 GWh.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply. London: Electrical Press. pp. C-19 to C-38.
  2. 1 2 3 "Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Bill 1954". hansard.parliament.uk. 29 July 1954. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Hannah, Leslie (1982). Engineers, Managers and Politicians. London: Macmillan. pp. 266–277. ISBN   0333220870.
  4. 1 2 Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom. London: Electricity Council. ISBN   085188105X.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "The restructuring and privatisation of electricity distribution and supply businesses in England and Wales" (PDF). ifs.org.uk. 2001. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  6. The Electrical Review, vol. 157 (1955), p. 1255.
  7. "Duke, Sir (Robert) Norman", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  8. Electrical Times, vol. 141 (1962), p. 170.
  9. "Chairman Retiring", Coventry Evening Telegraph , 27 January 1962, p. 9.
  10. "Elliott, Sir Norman (Randall)", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  11. "Allan, (Charles) Lewis (Cuthbert)", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. "Tombs, Baron, (Francis Leonard Tombs)", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  13. North of Scotland Hydro-electric Board, Report and Accounts (1974), p. 8.
  14. "Berridge, (Donald) Roy", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  15. "Miller, Sir Donald (John)", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 Electrical Journal (1958). Electricity Undertakings of the World 1957-8. London: Benn Brothers. pp. 225–226.
  17. "Hunterston A power station".
  18. "Torness power station".
  19. 1 2 3 Electricity Council (1989). Handbook of Electricity Supply Statistics. London: Electricity Council. pp. 90–93. ISBN   085188122X.

Further reading