Macclesfield group power stations

The Macclesfield group power stations are three relatively small electric power stations at Alderley Edge, Buxton, and Macclesfield, England. They supplied electricity to their respective towns from 1890s to the 1960s. The oil-engine stations were operated by a succession of private and public owners prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948. The power stations were redeveloped as a group in the 1950s as demand for electricity grew and old plant was replaced.

History

Alderley Edge

In 1895 Alderley Edge District Council 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 1895 (58 & 59 Vict. c. lxvii).[1] The following year the Provisional Order was transferred to the Alderley and Wilmslow Electric Supply Company Limited. The company, which was registered 23 April 1896, built power stations at Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge and at Wilmslow, Cheshire.[2] The Company supplied electricity to the area prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948.[3]  As a consequence of nationalisation the company was abolished and ownership of its power stations was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[4] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the company's electricity undertaking were transferred to the Merseyside & North Wales Electricity Board (MANWEB). In the 1950s the old plant at Alderley Edge was decommissioned and new plant installed.[2] The station was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

Buxton

Buxton Corporation was granted a Provisional Order to generate and supply electricity in Buxton Derbyshire in 1894. This was put on a statutory basis by the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 1) Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. xlix).[5]  An oil driven plant was built at Ashwood Dale, Buxton and continued to operate until the 1950s when it was replaced.[2] Buxton Corporation's electricity undertaking was abolished by electricity nationalisation in 1948, the power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and the distribution and sales functions transferred to MANWEB.[4] The station was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

Macclesfield  

Macclesfield Corporation was granted a Provisional Order to generate and supply electricity in 1901. This was put on a statutory basis by the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 5) Act 1901 (1 & 2 Edw. 7 c. cxxxviii).[6] An oil-engine driven plant was built at George Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire.[2] The Provisional Order was transferred to the Electricity Company of Macclesfield Limited [7] which operated the undertaking until it was abolished by nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948. The power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and the distribution and sales functions of the company were transferred to MANWEB. The plant at the station was scrapped and replaced in the 1950s.[2] The station was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

Following nationalisation the area supplied by the Macclesfield Group became an electricity supply district, covering 148 square miles (383 km2) with an estimated population of 103,700. It included the Boroughs of Macclesfield and Buxton, and the Districts of Bollington, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Hazel Grove, Marple, Whaley Bridge and New Mills.[2]

Equipment specification

Alderley Edge

By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[7]

  • 2 × 45 kW reciprocating steam engine driven generators
  • 1 × 150 kW reciprocating steam engine driven generator
  • 2 × 125 kW oil fired engine driven generators
  • 1 × 150 kW oil fired engine driven generator

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 640 kW of direct current.[7]

Electricity supplies to consumers were at 420 & 210 Volt DC.

The steam plant was decommissioned in the 1930s.[2] The original oil fired station was closed on 1 April 1953 and the oil plant removed. It was re-commissioned in December 1954 and comprised:[2]

  • 2 × 2 MW Mirrlees/Brush diesel engine alternator sets operating at 11 kV, one commissioned in December 1954 and the second in June 1955.
  • 1 × Davenport cooling tower, capacity 60,000 gallons per hour (273 m3/h), with a cooling range 110.5 °F to 85 °F (43.6 °C to 29.5 °C).[2]

Buxton

By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[7]

  • 1 × 80 kW gas engine driven generator
  • 1 × 100 kW gas engine driven generator
  • 2 × 200 kW gas engine driven generators

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 580 kW of direct current.[7]

Electricity supplies to consumers were at 460 & 230 Volt DC.

The old 570 kW plant was scrapped on 1 April 1953.[2] New plant was commissioned in December 1954. This comprised:

  • 2 × 2 MW Mirrlees/Brush diesel engine alternator sets operating at 6.6 kV
  • 1 × Davenport cooling tower, capacity 60,000 gallons per hour (273 m3/h), with a cooling range of 110.5 °F to 85 °F (43.6 °C to 29.5 °C).[2]

Macclesfield

By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[7]

  • 2 × 135 kW oil fired engine driven generators
  • 1 × 225 kW oil fired engine driven generator
  • 2 × 250 kW oil fired engine driven generators
  • 1 × 350 kW oil fired engine driven generator

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 1,345 kW of direct current.

Electricity supplies to consumers were at 460 & 230 Volt DC.[7]

New plant was commissioned in March 1955.[2] This comprised:

  • 1 × 2 MW Mirrlees/Brush diesel engine alternator sets operating at 11 kV
  • 1 × Davenport cooling tower, capacity 30,000  gallons per hour (137 m3/h), cooling range 110.5 °F to 85 °F (43.6 °C to 29.5 °C).[2]

Operations

Alderley Edge

The operating data for the period 1921–23 is given in the table and shows the amount of electricity sold to each type of consumer, the maximum loads and some financial data.[7]

Alderley Edge power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 192 217 249
Public lighting MWh 15 13 16
Traction MWh 0 0 0
Power MWh 77 65 61
Total use MWh 283 296 325
Load and connected load
Maximum load kW 231 253 264
Total connections kW 1467 1539 1630
Load factor Per cent 17.9 17.4 18.7
Financial
Revenue from sales of current Alderley Edge – £4577 £4965
Wilmslow – £5536 £6241

Alderley Edge power station had a maximum load of 461 MW and supplied 32.24 MWh of electricity in 1946.[8]

Operating data for the period 1954–58 was:[2]

Alderley Edge power station operating data, 1956–58
Year Running hours Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1956 299 4 574 50.3
1957 225 4 722 80.2
1958 243 4 926 95.3

The combined performance of the Macclesfield Group power stations for 1961–63 is given below under Macclesfield.

Buxton

The operating data for the period 1921–23 was:[7]

Buxton power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 346 309 414
Public lighting MWh 22 22 26
Traction MWh 0 0 0
Power MWh 72 105 103
Total use MWh 489 468 484
Load and connected load
Maximum load kW 344 360 413
Total connections kW 1527 1766 1766
Load factor Per cent 19.7 18.9 20.2
Financial
Revenue from sales of current £ – £13,003 £16,073
Surplus of revenue over expenses £ – £2,866 £8,957

Buxton power station had a maximum load of 819 MW and supplied 228.57 MWh of electricity in 1946.[8]

Operating data for the period 1955–58 was:[2]

Buxton power station operating data, 1955–58
Year Running hours Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1955 28 4 41 36.6
1956 303 4 725 59.8
1957 139 4 379 68.2
1958 182 4 531 72.9

The combined performance of the Macclesfield Group power stations for 1961–63 is given below under Macclesfield.

Macclesfield

The operating data for the period 1921–23 was:[7]

Macclesfield power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 193 212 247
Public lighting MWh 0 0 0
Traction MWh 0 0 0
Power MWh 839 623 896
Total use MWh 1032 835 1143
Load and connected load
Maximum load kW 551 648 761
Total connections kW 1600 1608 1823
Load factor Per cent 25.3 17.6 19.1
Financial
Revenue from sales of current £ – £6,134 £20,007
Surplus of revenue over expenses £ – £11,375 £14,376

Macclesfield power station had a maximum load of 1583 MW and supplied 692.45 MWh of electricity in 1946.#eleccomm

Operating data for the period 1954–58 was:[2]

Macclesfield power station operating data, 1954–58
Year Running hours Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1954 136 1160 90 57.0
1955 190 3030 137 58.0
1956 254 3030 452 58.7
1957 112 2460 199 72.2
1958 251 2200 467 85.0

The combined aggregate performance of the Macclesfield Group power stations (Alderley Edge, Buxton and Macclesfield) for 1961–63 was as follows:[9]

Macclesfield Group operations, 1961–67
Year Load factor per cent Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1961 10.7 9,387 34.21
1962 17.4 15,225 34.62
1963 20.70 18,133 34.40
1967 23.2 20,316 34.02

Macclesfield Electricity District

Macclesfield was an electricity supply district, covering 148 square miles (383 km2) with an estimated population of 103,700. The number of consumers and electricity sold was:[2]

Year 1956 1957 1958
Number of consumers 36,603 38,108 39,464
Electricity sold MWh 146,118 157,479 175,575

In 1958 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was:[2]

Type of consumer and consumption 1958
Type of consumer No. of consumers Electricity sold MWh
Domestic 34,488 89,757
Commercial 2,715 22,004
Combined premises 814 3,222
Industrial 390 51,816
Farms 1044 7,617
Public lighting 13 1,159
Total 39,464 175,575

There were 774 miles (1246 km) of high voltage mains in the district comprising 465 miles (909 km) of underground mains and 308 miles (496 km) of overhead cables.

The maximum demand on the district system was 61,350 kW, and the load factor was 32.7%.[2]

Closure

The Macclesfield group power stations were decommissioned in about 1970.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Local Acts1895". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  2. Garrett, Frederick C. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-41, A-8, A-74, A-140–42, B-196–97.
  3. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  5. "Local Acts 1894". legislation.gov.uk. 1894. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. "Local Acts 1901". legislation.gov.uk. 1901. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  7. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 18–21, 136–39, 160–3, 266–71, 364–69, 418–23.
  8. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO.
  9. CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  10. The stations are mentioned in the CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 but not in the 1972 edition
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