Kirkstall Power Station

Kirkstall power station was a coal-fired unit opened in 1930, serving the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Kirkstall Power Station
Kirkstall Power Station
CountryEngland
LocationKirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber
Coordinates53.80421°N 1.59245°W / 53.80421; -1.59245
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Construction began1928
Commission date1930
Decommission date1976
Owner(s)Leeds Corporation
(1926–1948)
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
ChimneysOriginally 12, later 2
Cooling towers2
Cooling sourceRiver water, cooling towers
Power generation
Units decommissionedAll
Nameplate capacity200 MW

It was situated in Kirkstall by the River Aire north west of Leeds and had its own wharf for delivery of coal via the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

History

The City of Leeds Corporation purchased the 104 acre (42.1 ha) Kirkstall site in 1926. Construction began in 1928, and the first electricity was generated in October 1930.[1] The station was equipped with two British Thomson-Houston 25 MW turbo-alternators.[2] An additional 30 MW turbo-alternator was ordered from BTH in 1935.[3] By 1948, further extensions to the site had increased its combined generating capacity to around 200 MW.[4] The station was later partly converted to oil firing during 1964, which rendered the coal sidings and associated shunters redundant.[5]

The boilers were pulverised fuel and oil fired. There were 9 water tube Stirling/ International Combustion boilers working at 490 psi; in the 1947-48 extension there were International Combustion boilers operating at 650 psi.[6] They were capable of delivering 2,370,000 lb/h (29.9 kg/s) of steam at 450 & 600 psi (31.0 & 41.4 bar) and 382/454 °C.[7] The generating capacity in 1972 was 200 MW from five 30 MW turbo-alternators. Steam condensing and cooling was by river water and concrete cooling towers, each tower was rated at 2.5 million gallons per hour.[6] In the year ending 31 March 1972 its load factor (the average load as a percent of maximum output capacity) was 20.5 percent.[7]

The electricity output of the power station is shown in the tables. These comprised the HP plant with an installed capacity of 57 MW and the LP plant with an installed capacity of 133 MW.[6][7][8]

Kirkstall HP electricity output
Year 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
Electricity output, GWh 431.652 268.674 255.123 168.098 252.240
Kirkstall LP electricity output
Year 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
Electricity output, GWh 217.763 258.833 193.914 175.352 166.855
Kirkstall combined electricity output
Year 1961 1962 1963 1967 1972
Electricity output, GWh 486.624 488.959 421.107 361.87 341.889

Kirkstall Power Station was closed in 1976 and was subsequently demolished, the cooling towers were demolished in 1979.[9] None of the structure remains. The majority of the power station site is covered by a secure caravan storage depot, golf course and artificial football pitches with the rest of the site now forming part of the Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve. The wharf used to unload coal is now a marina for canal and pleasureboats.

The major substations adjacent to the former power station still remain, supplying electrical power to much of Burley, Kirkstall, Armley and Bramley.

Incidents

In March 1950 there were reports that grit and dirt had been discharged from the chimneys of Kirkstall Power Station.[10] The matter was raised in Parliament and the Minister of Fuel and Power replied that the British Electricity Authority had been making alterations to the plant, which should reduce the nuisance. These included new electrostatic precipitators and ash handing plant.[10]

In July 1956 scaffolding had been erected on a 320 ft chimney at the station. The scaffolding collapsed and four men fell 200 ft, one was killed and three badly injured.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Kirkstall Power Station". Grace's Guide to British Industrial history. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  2. "Kirkstall Power Station". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. British Newspaper Archive. 12 February 1931. p. 6. (subscription required)
  3. "Kirkstall Power Station £125,000 extension plans". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. British Newspaper Archive. 29 October 1935. p. 4. (subscription required)
  4. "Committee will try to cut power load "but house-wives need not fear"". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. British Newspaper Archive. 6 March 1948. p. 3. (subscription required)
  5. Chapman, Stephen (1995). Airedale & Wharfedale. Todmorden: Bellcode Books. p. 17. ISBN 9781871233063.
  6. Garrett, Frederick C. (ed) (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol.56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-69, A-125.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  7. CEGB (1972). CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 15.
  8. CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  9. "David of Arabia and cooling towers demolition". Yorkshire Film Archive. 1979. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  10. "Kirkstall Power Station (Grit emission)". 22 March 1950. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  11. "Fall to death 200 ft down chimney". The Times. 13 July 1956.
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