Salisbury power station

Salisbury power station supplied electricity to the English city of Salisbury and the surrounding area from 1898 to c. 1970. It was owned and operated by Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times to incorporate new plant to replace retired equipment. The facilities included a water driven turbine.

Salisbury power station
CountryEngland
LocationSalisbury
Coordinates51°04′09″N 01°47′52″W
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1896
Commission date1898
Decommission date1970
Owner(s)Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited
(1894–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1970)
Operator(s)As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Secondary fuelWater
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling sourceRiver water
Power generation
Units operational1 x 0.75 MW, 1 x 0.55 MW, 1 x 1.6 MW
Make and modelEnglish Electric and Brush
Nameplate capacity2.9 MW
Annual net output6,061 MWh (1946)

History

In 1895 Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited (registered on 20 June 1894) applied for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the city.[1] This was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 5) Act 1895 (58 & 59 Vict. c. cii).[2]

The power station was built at Town Mill, a former 18th-century water mill on the River Avon, just upstream of Fisherton Bridge in the city centre (51°04'09"N 1°47'52"W).[3][4][5] It first supplied electricity on 22 June 1898.[1]

Equipment specification

The original plant at the power station comprised a 60 horse-power (45 kW) Gilkes water turbine running at 28 rpm and powered by the River Avon.[1] The turbine was connected via belts to Parker dynamos. The capacity of the plant was 120 kW and there were 1,000 lamps connected to the system. In 1898 a new coal-fired steam plant was being built, equipped with Belliss engines and Parker dynamos.[1]

Plant in 1923

By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[6]

  • Coal-fired boilers generating up to 21,000 lb/h (2.64 kg/s) of steam which was fed to:
  • Generators:
    • 1 × 90 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator
    • 1 × 100 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator
    • 1 × 180 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator
    • 2 × 200 kW reciprocating engines driving generators

The station also had a 30 kW water turbine. These machines gave a total generating capacity of 800 kW of direct current (DC).[6]

The supply to consumers was at 420 and 210 volts DC.[6]

Plant in 1955

The plant in 1955 comprised:[7]

  • Boilers:
    • 4 × Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers with a total evaporative capacity 49,000 lb/h (6.2 kg/s), producing steam at 200 psi and 700°F (13.8 bar, 371°C) which was fed to:
  • Turbo-alternators:
    • 1 × English Electric 0.75 MW turbo-alternator, generating at 11 kV
    • 1 × English Electric 0.55 MW turbo-alternator, generating at 11 kV
    • 1 × Brush 1.60 MW, turbo-alternators, generating at 6.6 kV.

The total installed generating capacity was 2.9 MW, with an output capacity of 3MW.[7]

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the River Avon.

Operations

There was a trend for electricity consumption to increase during the course of the First World War (1914–1919). It was noted the Salisbury (and Taunton) municipal electricity undertakings suffered a fall in electricity sales in this period, associated with the lack of industry in these areas.[8]

Operating data 1921–23

The operating data for the period 1921–23 is shown in the table:[6]

Salisbury power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic use MWh 414 437 495
Public lighting use MWh 0.6 0.6 2.4
Traction MWh 0 0 0
Power use MWh 239 247 244
Total use MWh 653 685 741
Load and connected load
Maximum load kW 467 520 552
Total connections kW 2162 2287 2375
Load factor Per cent 19.6 18.6 18.9
Financial
Revenue from sales of current £ – 17,036 18,151
Surplus of revenue over expenses £ – 8,862 10,512

Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5 c. 51)[9] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established.[10] The CEB identified high efficiency 'selected' power stations that would supply electricity most effectively. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region.[10]

Operating data 1946

Salisbury power station operating data for 1946 was:[11]

Salisbury power station operating data in 1946
Year Load factor per cent Max output load MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1946 41.7 3,710 6,061 13.75

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[12] The Salisbury electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Salisbury power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[10] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Salisbury electricity undertaking were transferred to the Southern Electricity Board (SEB).[12]

Operating data 1954–67

Operating data for the period 1954–67 is shown in the table:[7] [13] [14]

Salisbury 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 1293 3 2708 9.85
1955 770 3 1698 9.57
1956 1053 3 2247 9.91
1957 348 3 772 8.12
1958 142 3 278 7.52
1961 (1.2 %) 3 321 5.71
1962 (0.9 %) 3 224 6.20
1963 (3.62 %) 3 952 8.22
1967 (4.0 %) 3 984 10.7

Salisbury power station was part of the Salisbury electricity supply district, an area of 421 square miles, including at least part of the districts of Salisbury, Wilton, Amesbury, Mere, Tisbury, Blandford, Wimborne, Andover and Stockbridge. Consumer supplies were available as AC, 1-phase, 240–480V and 3-phase,  240–415 V.[7]  

Closure

Salisbury power station was decommissioned in about 1970.[15] The building was Grade II listed under the name Salisbury Generating Station in 1952.[3] In 1979 the site was owned by Salisbury City Council who wished to replace the station and surrounding buildings with a hotel, but this did not come to fruition.[16]

See also

References
  1. Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. pp. 302–303.
  2. "Local Acts 1895". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  3. Historic England. "Salisbury Generating Station (1243066)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. Crittall, Elizabeth, ed. (1962). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 6 pp87-90 – Salisbury: Bridges, bars, gates and mills". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. Ordnance Survey 25 inch England Wiltshire LXVI.11 (Laverstock; Netherhampton; New Sarum), revised 1923, published 1926
  6. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 200–03, 472–77.
  7. Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-92, A-133, B-224-25.
  8. Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0333220862.
  9. "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  10. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  11. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 7.
  12. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  14. CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967
  15. Salisbury is included in the CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 but not in the 1972 edition
  16. Moody, Frogg (31 January 2019). "HERITAGE: History repeating itself over hotel plans". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
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