West Ham Power Station

Last updated

West Ham Power Station
West Ham B Power Station.jpg
West Ham 'B' Power Station 1974
West Ham Power Station
CountryEngland
Location Greater London
Coordinates 51°31′05″N0°00′05″E / 51.5180°N 0.0014°E / 51.5180; 0.0014 Coordinates: 51°31′05″N0°00′05″E / 51.5180°N 0.0014°E / 51.5180; 0.0014
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Commission date 1904 (West Ham A)
1951 (West Ham B)
Decommission date1968 (West Ham A)
1983 (West Ham B)
Operator(s)West Ham Borough Council
(1904–1947)
British Electricity Authority
(1947–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1983)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Chimneys3
Cooling towers? × Wooden , 2 × concrete parabolic
Cooling sourceRecirculating water
Power generation
Units operational1 × 30 MW, 3 × 130 MW
Units decommissionedAll
Nameplate capacity 114 MW
Annual net output (See graph in text)
External links
Commons Related media on Commons
[ edit on Wikidata]

grid reference TQ388818

West Ham Power Station was a coal-fired power station on Bow Creek (the tidal mouth of the River Lea) at Canning Town, in east London. It was often referred to informally as Canning Town Power Station.

Contents

History

The first power station at Canning Town was opened by West Ham Borough Council in 1904, in part to supply the borough's tramways. It replaced an earlier station built in 1898 at Abbey Mills. The station was extended several times between 1904 and 1930, making West Ham one of the largest municipal electricity suppliers in London. [1]

The generating capacity, maximum load, and electricity generated and sold was as follows: [2] [3] [4] [5]

West Ham A power station generating capacity, load and electricity produced and sold, 1912–57
YearGenerating capacity, MWMaximum load, MWElectricity generated, GWhElectricity sold, GWh
1912/314.10011.36233.97427.466
1918/917.90011.45045.75138.216
1919/2017.90012.85049.70141.628
1923/435.50019.04059.99850.612
1936/776.50039.940146.18255.240
194659.570146.151132.803
1953/45127.859
1954/55122.102
1955/64820.276
1956/74826.001
1957/84822.367
1960/1486.97
1961/2484.72
1962/34812.82

In 1923 the AC plant comprised: 2 × 600 kW and 1 × 1,200 kW reciprocating engines and generators and 2 × 1,500 kW, 2 × 3,000 kW, 1 × 5,000 kW and 1 × 10,000 kW turbo-alternators. [6] The DC supply was generated by 3 × 500 kW reciprocating engines and generators. The DC supply was at 550V and was used for traction current. The 2-phase AC supply was at 100 and 200V and at 200 and 400V. The total installed generating capacity was 27,900 kW. [6] The boiler plant (four Vickers-Spearling and two Stirling boilers) [3] produced a total of 618,440 lb/hr (77.9 kg/s) of steam. In 1923 the station generated 53.965 GWh of electricity, some of this was used in the plant, the total amount sold was 45.782 GWh. The revenue from sales of current was £330,110, this gave a surplus of revenue over expenses of £112,084. [6]

The power station seen from the Lea in 1904. Canning Town Power Station 1904.jpg
The power station seen from the Lea in 1904.

West Ham A Power Station used two phase generators as compared with conventional three phase. The local undertaking in West Ham also distributed two phase electricity. In its later life it was connected to the National Grid using Scott connected transformers that converted two phase to three phase electricity.

The station was located off the long-demolished Tucker Street. It was damaged in a bombing raid in September 1940 during the Second World War. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1947 the operating of the station was taken over by British Electricity Authority. In 1959 there were two 10 MW Metropolitan-Vickers, one 12.5 MW Metropolitan-Vickers, and one 30 MW English Electric turbo-alternators. By 1964 the Metro.-Vickers units had been decommissioned, the A station had a single 30 MW generator, installed in 1923. The station ran for 696 hours in 1961 and gave an output of 5.91 GWh, and had a thermal efficiency of 8.21 per cent. [7] The steam capacity of the boilers was 600,000 lb/hr (75.6 kg/s). Steam conditions at the turbine stop valve was 190/200 psi (13.1/13.8 bar) and 318/371 °C. [8] The A Station used the original wooden cooling towers. The generator and the A station was decommissioned in 1968.

West Ham B

The BEA completed a new West Ham B Power Station to the south of the original station in 1951. This had two prominent concrete cooling towers each with a capacity of 2.8 million gallons per hour (3.54 m3/s). [3] Make up water was abstracted from the River Lea. [3] As well as burning coal the B Station burnt coke blended with coal in its chain grate boilers. The coke was supplied from the adjacent Bromley Gas works. In 1964 the B station had 4 × 30 MW English Electric turbo-alternators. [3] There were eight John Thompson 'Radiant' water tube boilers each with a capacity of 180,000 lb/hr [9] giving a steam capacity of 1,440,000 lb/hr (181.4 kg/s). Steam conditions at the turbine stop valve was 625 psi (43.18 bar) and 460 °C. [8] The railway sidings linked to the North London Line at Stephenson Street. Electricity output from the B power station during 1954-1983 was as follows. [8] [7] [3] [4]

West Ham B annual electricity output GWh.

On 28 June 1966 the temporary scaffolding in one of the cooling towers collapsed, killing a worker. [10]

Closure

Having been taken over by the CEGB in 1958, the B station was closed on 31 October 1983 with a generating capacity of 114 MW. [11] It was subsequently demolished, and the site of the power station is now occupied by the Electra Business Park.

Related Research Articles

Brimsdown Power Station Former coal-fired power station in England

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

Great Yarmouth Power Station Gas power station in Norfolk, England

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.

Shoreham Power Station Gas-fired power station

Shoreham Power Station is a 420MWe combined cycle gas-fired power station in Southwick, West Sussex. It was built on the site of the Brighton B Power Station. Predating both the former Brighton A & B stations, the town of Brighton has a long history of association with the electricity supply industry.

Rotherham power station was a coal-fired power station sited close to the centre of Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

Sunderland Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated on the bank of the River Wear, in the city centre of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, North East England. The station was initially built in 1901 by the Sunderland Corporation and had several extensions added.

Stuart Street Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Bradford, Manchester, England.

Doncaster Power Station

Doncaster Power Station refers to two coal-fired electricity generating stations situated in the centre of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Doncaster A provided electricity to the town from 1900 to 1958, and the B station from 1953 to 1983.

Kingston Power Station, London Former coal-fired generating station

Kingston Power Station was a coal-fired generating station on the Thames in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. It ceased generating in 1980 and has been demolished.

Hackney Power Station Power Station in UK

Hackney Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated at Lea Bridge on the River Lee Navigation in London.

Northampton Power Station Former electricity generating station

Northampton power station was an electricity generating station in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, which began operation for the Northampton Electric Light and Power Company Limited (NELPC) in 1919 and generated power until closure in 1976.

Cliff Quay Power Station

Cliff Quay Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated to the south of Ipswich, Suffolk in the East of England. The station was designed by Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners and built by the Cleveland Bridge Company.

Watford Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated in Watford's Riverside area. The station was built by the Watford Corporation Electricity Department starting with the installation of cables in 1899 with completion around 1900, near the banks of the River Colne. A gas turbine power station was commissioned in 1980.

Southampton Power Station was a coal fired power station built by Southampton corporation that operated between 1904 and 1977.

The Worcester Power Stations were a series of hydro-electric and coal-fired generating stations providing electricity to the City of Worcester.

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.

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.

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.

Wolverhampton power station, also known as Commercial Road power station, supplied electricity to the Borough of Wolverhampton, England and the surrounding area from 1895 to 1976. It was redeveloped in several stages to meet growing demand for electricity: including the addition of new plant in 1902 to 1908, 1925 and 1942. The power station was initially owned and operated by Wolverhampton Corporation, but was transferred to the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority in 1928. The British Electricity Authority assumed ownership at nationalisation in 1948. Wolverhampton power station was decommissioned in 1976.

References

  1. ↑ 'West Ham: Local government and public services', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 96-112. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42758. Date accessed: 25 November 2007.
  2. ↑ London County Council. London Statistics (various years). London: London County Council.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Garrett, Frederick C., ed. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol.56. Londdon: Electrical Press. pp. A-106–107, A-138.
  4. 1 2 CEGB Annual Report and Accounts, various years
  5. ↑ Electricity Commission, Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31st December 1946. London: HMSO, 1947.
  6. 1 2 3 Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply - 1920-1923. London: HMSO. pp. 98–101, 326–31.
  7. 1 2 "British Power Stations operating at 31 December 1961". Electrical Review. 1 June 1962: 931.
  8. 1 2 3 CEGB Statistical Yearbook (various years). CEGB, London.
  9. ↑ Pugh, H.V. (November 1957). "The Generation of Electricity in the London Area". Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. 105:23: 487.
  10. ↑ "Scaffolding collapse kills workman (p.1)". The Times. 29 June 1966.
  11. ↑ Mr. Redmond (16 January 1984). "Coal-fired Power Stations". Hansard . Retrieved 18 May 2017.
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.