Stockport power station

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Stockport power station
Stockport power station
CountryEngland
Location Stockport
Coordinates 53°24′44″N02°09′15″W / 53.41222°N 2.15417°W / 53.41222; -2.15417
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1897
Commission date 1899
Decommission date1976
Owner(s)Stockport Corporation
(1891–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1976)
Operator(s)As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling towers3
Cooling sourceRiver water and cooling towers
Power generation
Units operational1 x 12.5 MW, 1 x 20 MW, 2 x 30 MW
Make and modelEnglish Electric, Escher Wyss, Fraser & Chalmers, Richardson Westgarth
Annual net output 241,693 MWh (1946)
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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.

Contents

History

In 1891 Stockport Corporation applied for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the town. This was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1891 (44 & 45 Vict. c. l). [1] The power station was built in Millgate, Stockport (53°24’44”N, 2°09’15”W) [2] and it first supplied electricity in 1899. [3] Further equipment was added to meet the rising demand for electricity; by 1922  it had a generating capacity of 22,000 kW. [4]

From the establishment of the Stockport Corporation Tramways in 1901 the power station supplied electric current to tram system. The trams were decommissioned in 1951. [5]

Stockport power station became a selected station in the North West England and North Wales Electricity Scheme. It was part of one of three national grid rings in the northwest. Other stations in the Stockport ring were Manchester, Tame Valley and Oldham. [6]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54). [7] The Stockport electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Stockport power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). [8] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Stockport electricity undertaking were transferred to the North Western Electricity Board (NORWEB).

Stockport power station was closed on 25 October 1976. [9] The power station was subsequently demolished.

Stockport Hydro is a hydro-electric generating station located at Otterspool Weir on the River Goyt at Marple, Stockport. It comprises two Archimedes screws with a total output of 68 kW. It was commissioned in October 2012 and in its first year generated 180 MWh of electricity which was fed into the national grid. [10]

Equipment specification

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 288,000 lb/h (36.3 kg/s) of steam to: [4]

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 22,000 kW comprising 20,500 kW of alternating current (AC) plus 1,500 kW of direct current (DC). [4]

The following electricity supplies were available to consumers: [4]

Plant in 1954

By 1954 the plant comprised: [11]

There was a total steam raising capability of 835,000 lb/h (105.2 kg/s); steam was supplied to: [11]

The total generating capacity was 92.5 MW at 6.6 kV. [11]

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the nearby River Goyt and there were three cooling towers, with a capacity of 2.8 million gallons per hour (3.53 m3/s). [11]

Operations

Operating data 1921–23

The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was: [4]

Stockport power station supply data 1921–23
Electricity UseUnitsYear
192119221923
Lighting and domesticMWh1,6032,4502,340
Public lightingMWh200200200
TractionMWh3,1103,1283,092
PowerMWh15,69316,17821,240
Bulk supplyMWh000
Total useMWh20,60621,95626,872

The electricity Loads on the system were:

Year192119221923
Maximum loadkW9,0869,25612,900
Total connectionskW24,00022,58327,206
Load factorPer cent30.231.628.8

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £139,950; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £69,638. [4]

Operating data 1946

In 1946 Stockport power station supplied 241,693 MWh of electricity, the maximum output load was 72,580 kW. The load factor was 39.8%, and the thermal efficiency was 21.67%. [12]

Operating data 1954–72

Operating data for the period 1954–72 was: [11] [13]

Stockport power station operating data, 1954–72
YearRunning hours or load factor (per cent)Max output capacity  MWElectricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
High pressure
1954696628128,47924.94
1955607828111,24823.78
195650962899,25322.37
195742852882,68722.55
195845632890,8782.61
Low pressure
195429874783,41613.95
195533564765,68014.78
195627404741,51715.07
195716914738,13014.92
195824594749,17316.66
Combined output
196113.6 %7285,75419.71
196229.21 %71181,66019.12
196330.3 %71191,19918.95
196726.2 %77176,98520.22
19726.4 %6637,35717.50

The output of Stockport power station in MWh was as follows:

Stockport Electricity District

Following nationalisation Stockport power station became part of the Stockport electricity supply district, covering 19 square miles (49.2 km2) with a population of 159,000 in 1958. The number of consumers and electricity sold in the Stockport district was: [11]

Year195619571958
Number of consumers55,18556,08556,690
Electricity sold MWh179,400191,208202,970

In 1958 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was: [11]

Type of consumerNo. of consumersElectricity sold MWh
Domestic50,95274,066
Commercial2,93620,725
Combined2,0677,420
Industrial66398,247
Farms79413
Public lighting22,099
Total56,690202,970

The maximum demand was 65,700 kW, the load factor was 35.3%.

See also

Related Research Articles

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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.

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References

  1. ↑ "Local Acts 1891". legislation.gov.uk.
  2. ↑ Ordnance Survey 25 inch England and Wales, Cheshire X.15 (Stockport), revised 1907, published 1932
  3. ↑ Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. p. 321.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Commissioners, Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 86–89, 320–25.
  5. ↑ "Stockport Corporation Tramways" . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 121. ISBN   0333220862.
  7. ↑ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  8. ↑ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 63, 69, 73. ISBN   085188105X.
  9. ↑ House of Commons, Written Answers, Coal-fired power stations, 16 January 1984, vol. 52
  10. ↑ "Stockport Hydro" . Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Garrett, Frederick C. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-97 A-134 B-236.
  12. ↑ Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 14.
  13. ↑ CEGB Annual Report 1961-63, CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 and 1972
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