Wimbledon power station

Wimbledon power station
Country	England
Location	Wimbledon, London
Coordinates	51°25′52″N00°11′33″W / 51.43111°N 0.19250°W / 51.43111; -0.19250
Status	Decommissioned
Construction began	1897
Commission date	1899
Decommission date	1968
Owners	Wimbledon Corporation (1897–1933) London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority (1933–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1968)
Operator	As operator
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Turbine technology	Steam turbines
Cooling source	River water
Power generation
Units operational	1 x 1 MW, 1 x 1.5 MW, 4 x 3.75 MW, 1 x 7.5 MW = 25.2 MW (total)
Make and model	British Thomson-Houston, Metropolitan Vickers, Parsons
Nameplate capacity	25.2 MW
Annual net output	17,509 MWh (1946)

Wimbledon power station supplied electricity to the Borough of Wimbledon and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1968. The power station was developed by the Wimbledon Corporation which operated it up to 1933. The London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority operated the station from 1933 until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped by the owners several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

History

Wimbledon Corporation applied in 1897 for a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to Borough of Wimbledon. The Wimbledon Electric Lighting Order 1897 was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict. c. lxii). ^[1] The power station was built in Durnsford Road, Wimbledon ( 51°25′52″N0°11′33″W / 51.43111°N 0.19250°W / 51.43111; -0.19250 ) ^[2] and was commissioned in 1899. ^[3] Further Provisional Orders were granted in 1903 and 1911.

During the general strike in 1926, 113 employees of the Wimbledon electricity undertaking went on strike. Seven of the leaders were refused re-employment, whereas the 60 staff who had not gone on strike were rewarded with a bonus of £368. ^[4]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 54). ^[5] The Wimbledon electricity undertaking and London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority were abolished, ownership of Wimbledon power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). ^[6] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Wimbledon electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).

Wimbledon power station was closed in 1968. ^[7]

Plant in 1923

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 161,000 lb/h (20.3 kg/s) of steam to: ^[8]

2 × 350 kW reciprocating engines driving alternating current (AC) alternators

1 × 625 kW reciprocating engine AC alternator

2 × 1,000 kW steam turbo-alternators (AC)

1 × 1,500 kW steam turbo-alternator (AC)

These machines had a total generating capacity of 4,825 kW.

Electricity supply to consumers was single phase, 50 Hz, 220 Volt. ^[8]

A 3,750 kW Metropolitan Vickers set powered from a 50,000 lb/hr Babcock & Wilcox boiler. ^[9]

Plant in 1954

By 1954 the plant comprised: ^[10]

• Boilers:
  • 2 × Babcock & Wilcox 60,000 lb/h (7.56 kg/s) chain grate stoker boilers
  • 2 × Spearing 26,000 lb/h (3.28 kg/s) boilers
  • 1 × Spearing 50,000 lb/h (6.3 kg/s) boiler

Total evaporative capacity 222,000 lb/h (27.97 kg/s)), steam conditions were 250 psi and 600 °F and 700 °F (17.2 bar and 316 °C and 371 °C), steam was supplied to:

• Generators:
  • 1 × 1.0 MW British Thomson-Houston – Curtis turbo-alternator
  • 1 × 1.5 MW British Thomson-Houston – Curtis turbo-alternator
  • 4 × 3.75 MW Metropolitan Vickers turbo-alternators, single phase
  • 1 × 7.5 MW Parsons turbo-alternator, 2-phase (installed 1930)

The total generating capacity was 25.2 MW with an output capacity of 18 MW.

Condenser water was taken from the River Wandle. ^[10]

Operations

Operating data 1912–20

Wimbledon operating data 1912–3. ^{[11] [12]}

Year	Capacity of plant, MW	Maximum load, MW	Electricity sold, MWh	No. of customers
1912	3.325	1.70	2,903	5,589
1920	4.825	1.988	3,310	7,805

Operating data 1921–23

The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was: ^[8]

Wimbledon power station supply data 1921–23

Electricity Use	Units	Year
		1921	1922	1923
Lighting and domestic	MWh	1,873	2,023	2,799
Public lighting	MWh	447	403	436
Traction	MWh	0	0	0
Power	MWh	1,694	1,852	2,922
Bulk supply	MWh	0	0	0
Total use	MWh	4,013	4,278	6,157

Electricity Loads on the system were:

Year		1921	1922	1923
Maximum load	kW	2,501	2,725	3,600
Total connections	kW	13,955	15,369	17,168
Load factor	Per cent	25.5	24.4	244.9

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £96,316; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £52,963. ^[8]

Operating data 1934–37

Wimbledon operating data 1934–37, this includes electricity purchased from the national grid. ^[13]

Year	Electricity sold, MWh
1934	43,609
1935	47,357
1936	60,042
1937	68,852

Operating data 1946

In 1946 Wimbledon power station supplied 17,509 MWh of electricity; the maximum output load was 18,080 kW. The load factor was 11.1%, and the thermal efficiency was 10.94%. ^[14]

Operating data 1954–67

Operating data for the period 1954–67 was: ^{[10] [15]}

Wimbledon power station operating data, 1954–67

Year	Running hours or load factor (per cent)	Max output capacity  MW	Electricity supplied MWh	Thermal efficiency per cent
1954	511	18	2,697	6.80
1955	724	18	6,209	9.64
1956	1039	18	7,984	10.49
1957	336	18	1,978	8.79
1958	623	18	4,533	10.59
1961	2.0 %	18	3,131	9.52
1962	2.7 %	18	4,189	10.24
1963	6.06 %	18	9,550	12.01
1966	3.6 %	18	5,716	9.31
1967	2.1 %	10	2,380	6.94

Th electricity sold by Wimbledon power station in MWh was as shown:

Railway power station

In addition to the statutory public-supply Wimbledon power station, the Southern Railway constructed an electricity generating station at Wimbledon to supply traction current for the railway. This private supply power station was built in Durnsford Road in 1913. It was initially equipped with 5 x 5,000 kW turbo alternators supplying power at 11,000 Volts 25 Hz to the trackside substations. ^[16]

In 1957 it comprised 20 chain-grate boilers with a total evaporative capacity of 430,000 lb/hr (54 kg/s). ^[17] These supplied steam to:

• 4 × 12.5 MW generators
• 2 × 5.0 MW generators
• 2 × 0.4 MW generators

Giving a total capacity of 60.8 MW.

Cooling water was abstracted from the River Wandle and cooled by five wooden cooling towers. The circulating capacity was 1,333,600 gallons per hour (1.68 m³/s). ^[14]

In 1946 the station generated 158,441 MWh of electricity. The maximum load was 45.2 MW, the load factor was 40 percent and the thermal efficiency was 18.7 percent. ^[14]

See also

• Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry
• List of power stations in England

References

1. "Local Acts 1897". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
2. Ordnance Survey 25-inch, Surrey VII.11 (Wandsworth Borough; Wimbledon St Mary), revised 1933 to 1934, published 1935
3. Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. p. 341.
4. Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 272–3. ISBN   0333220862.
5. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
6. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61. ISBN   085188105X.
7. Horne, Mike. "London power stations" (PDF). metadyne. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
8. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 102–05, 332–37.
9. https://archive.org/details/sim_electrical-review_1929-01-18_104_2667/page/92/mode/2up.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-108 A-138.
11. London County Council (1915). London Statistics 1913-14 vol. 24. London: LCC. p. 547.
12. London County Council (1922). London Statistics 1920-21 vol. 27. London: LCC. p. 288.
13. London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936-38 vol. 41. London: London County Council. p. 382.
14. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. pp. 15 & 20.
15. CEGB Annual Report 1961–63, CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1966, 1967
16. The Electrical Review 1915-09-24: Vol 77 Iss 1974. Internet Archive. St. John Patrick Publishers. 1915-09-24.
17. Electrical Journal (1957). Electricity Undertakings of the World. London: Benn Brothers. pp. 242–3.