East Perth Power Station

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East Perth Power Station
BunburyBridge East Perth c.1935.jpg
East Perth Power Station at the centre of this 1930 photograph: Bunbury Bridge crosses the river and East Perth Gasometer is in the top right
East Perth Power Station
General information
TypePower Station
Location East Perth, Western Australia
Coordinates 31°56′46″S115°52′50″E / 31.94624°S 115.88047°E / -31.94624; 115.88047 (East Perth Power Station)
TypeState Registered Place
Designated8 January 2016
Reference no. 3318

The East Perth Power Station is a disused power station in East Perth, Western Australia. For most of its life it was coal-fired, but ran on oil for six years. The site consists of a complex of industrial buildings occupying more than 8.5 hectares (21 acres), bounded by East Parade, Summers Street, the Swan River and the Graham Farmer Freeway.

Contents

History

Administration building with generating building in the background East perth power gnangarra 01.JPG
Administration building with generating building in the background

The Power Station was constructed between 1913 and 1916 by the Western Australian State Government, which announced that the facility would generate all the electricity needed in the Perth Metropolitan area. The site of East Perth was chosen because coal could easily be delivered there by rail and because the enormous quantities of cooling water required by the condensing plant could easily be drawn from the Swan River. Construction was completed at a total cost of £538,000. [1]

East Perth Power House in 1929 East Perth Power House 1929.JPG
East Perth Power House in 1929

In the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s new power generators were added to the facility to meet the city's growing demand for power. By 1948 the station had an array of power generating sources. [2]

In 1968 the station converted from coal to oil, but six years later returned to coal firing. The station was decommissioned and closed in December 1981, as more advanced and cheaper methods of electricity generation made the facility redundant. [1]

Sign when the plans for rebuilding as a museum were still current East Perth Power Station Banner 2009.jpg
Sign when the plans for rebuilding as a museum were still current

Conservation and protection

The East Perth Power Station is considered to be one of the State's most significant industrial heritage buildings. [3] It includes a range of remnant machinery and equipment that is believed to be unique in the world because it contains the five different stages of power generation technology that occurred in the 20th century. [4] [5]

As early as 1993 plans were in place for conservation and protection of the site. [6] [7] [8]

In 2007 an oral history project was conducted of former workers at the site. The recordings are held at Battye Library. [9]

In 2011, University of Western Australia historian Charles Fox published a history of the station Powering Perth. [10]

Proposed redevelopment

In the 2000s the East Perth Redevelopment Authority developed a draft master plan [4] for the site's future use, which went out to the public during a three-month community consultation period (7 November 2004 – 28 February 2005). Site works commenced in July 2004 and included a general clean up, building stabilisation and weather proofing. [3]

In early 2005 the Government of Western Australia appointed a Major Stadia Taskforce to report on the construction of a new stadium in Perth. Its final report recommended the construction of a new 60,000-seat stadium at either Kitchener Park (which adjoins Subiaco Oval) or at the East Perth Power Station site. In early 2008 the Government confirmed that Subiaco Oval would be demolished for the new Perth super-stadium to be built next door at Kitchener Park. [11] This site was chosen ahead of the other suggested site at the Power Station, which was instead to house a new $500 million museum. [12] Planning and design of the new museum was to begin in 2008, with construction expected to begin in 2012. The extensive fit-out required for the museum was scheduled to start in 2013, with completion of the entire project expected in late 2015. [13] The redevelopment was to have been overseen by the Government's Office of Strategic Projects. [12]

Following the election of a new State Liberal party government under Colin Barnett, the redevelopment plans were scrapped in early February 2009 as part of a response to reduce government expenditure. [14]

In February 2015, the site was subdivided into four lots for sale to developers. The first lot offered for sale includes the power station building, which the purchaser would be required to preserve and redevelop. [15]

In 2020, Minderoo Group and Australian Capital Equity were nominated as preferred developers, but both companies withdrew from the joint venture in February 2023. The exclusive rights expired in March 2023 and were not renewed due to "insufficient progress" on the project. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 East Perth Redevelopment Authority, Fact Sheet
  2. ↑ p.261 of Tait's electrical Directory of Australia and New Zealand, 12th Edition, 1948, Tait Publishing, Melbourne, Vic.: 3 International Combustion boilers, 10 Babcock & Wilcox marine-type boilers; as well as Green's economisers and Parson's turbo-alternators
  3. 1 2 East Perth Redevelopment Authority, East Perth Power Station Archived 17 June 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 Draft Master Plan (PDF), 2004, archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2017, retrieved 20 June 2016
  5. ↑ Archer, J. C. A brief history of the development of East Perth Power Station. 1982. "Prepared under the auspices of the Engineering Heritage Sub-Committee of the Institution of Engineers, Australia - Western Australia Division".
  6. ↑ Bodycoat, Ronald.(1993) East Perth Power Station [cartographic material] : conservation plan : prepared for the East Perth Redevelopment Authority / Ronald Bodycoat, Oline Richards. East Perth, W.A. : distributed by the Heritage Council of W.A.
  7. ↑ Tweedie, Lindsay. East Perth Power Station conservation plan : prepared for the East Perth Redevelopment Authority and State Energy Council of Western Australia. Volume 3. Detailed inventory of plant and equipment Perth, W.A : distributed by Heritage Council of W.A.
  8. ↑ Godden, Don. East Perth Power Station heritage significance assessment : report prepared for the State Energy Commission of Western Australia. Perth, W.A. The Commission, 1992.
  9. ↑ "SLWA Online Catalogue Search". State Library of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "Socrates: Research Quality Management System". Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  11. ↑ Perth to get new $1.1 billion stadium Archived 16 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Age 8 February 2008
  12. 1 2 Government of Western Australia, Media Release: 'New major sports stadium for Western Australia' Archived 7 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine , 8 February 2008
  13. ↑ Government of Western Australia, Media Release: 'Western Australia to build a Museum for the 21st century' Archived 21 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine , 8 February 2008
  14. ↑ Sports stadium and museum plans scrapped Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2 February 2009
  15. ↑ Andrew O'Connor (20 February 2015). "Historic East Perth power station site offered to developers for waterfront residential, commercial and arts precinct". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Plans for derelict East Perth power station falls through after Andrew Forrest, Kerry Stokes pull out". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
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