Stockport power station

Stockport power station supplied electricity to the town of Stockport, Cheshire and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1976. The power station was owned and operated by Stockport Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Stockport power station
CountryEngland
LocationStockport
Coordinates53°24′44″N 02°09′15″W
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1897
Commission date1899
Decommission date1976
Owner(s)Stockport Corporation
(1891–1948)
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
Cooling towers3
Cooling sourceRiver water and cooling towers
Power generation
Units operational1 x 12.5 MW, 1 x 20 MW, 2 x 30 MW
Make and modelEnglish Electric, Escher Wyss, Fraser & Chalmers, Richardson Westgarth
Annual net output241,693 MWh (1946)

History

In 1891 Stockport Corporation 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 1891 (44 & 45 Vict. c. l).[1] The power station was built in Millgate, Stockport (53°24’44”N, 2°09’15”W)[2] and it first supplied electricity in 1899.[3] Further equipment was added to meet the rising demand for electricity; by 1922  it had a generating capacity of 22,000 kW.[4]

From the establishment of the Stockport Corporation Tramways in 1901 the power station supplied electric current to tram system. The trams were decommissioned in 1951.[5]

Stockport power station became a selected station in the North West England and North Wales Electricity Scheme. It was part of one of three national grid rings in the northwest. Other stations in the Stockport ring were Manchester, Tame Valley and Oldham.[6]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[7] The Stockport electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Stockport power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[8] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Stockport electricity undertaking were transferred to the North Western Electricity Board (NORWEB).

Stockport power station was closed on 25 October 1976.[9] The power station was subsequently demolished.

Stockport Hydro is a hydro-electric generating station located at Otterspool Weir on the River Goyt at Marple, Stockport. It comprises two Archimedes screws with a total output of 68 kW. It was commissioned in October 2012 and in its first year generated 180 MWh of electricity which was fed into the national grid.[10]

Equipment specification

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 288,000 lb/h (36.3 kg/s) of steam to:[4]

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 22,000 kW comprising 20,500 kW of alternating current (AC) plus 1,500 kW of direct current (DC).[4]

The following electricity supplies were available to consumers:[4]

  • 400 & 230 Volts, 3-phase, 50 Hz AC
  • 460 & 230 Volts DC
  • 500 V DC Traction current

Plant in 1954

By 1954 the plant comprised:[11]

  • Boilers:
    • 1 × Babcock & Wilcox 20,000 lb/h (2.52 kg/s) boiler, steam conditions were 220 psi and 650 °F (15.2 bar and 343 °C),
    • 1 × Babcock & Wilcox 25,000 lb/h (3.15 kg/s) boiler, steam conditions as above,
    • 1 × Babcock & Wilcox 40,000 lb/h (5.04 kg/s) boiler, steam conditions as above,
    • 3 × Simon Carves 150,000 lb/h (18.9 kg/s) boilers, steam conditions were 425 psi and 825 °F (29.3 bar and 441 °C),
    • 1 × Simon Carves 300,000 lb/h (37.8 kg/s) boiler, steam conditions were 625 psi and 850 °F (43.1 bar and 454 °C). This was one of the UK's earliest unit boilers dedicated to a 30 MW turbo-alternator.

There was a total steam raising capability of 835,000 lb/h (105.2 kg/s); steam was supplied to:[11]

The total generating capacity was 92.5 MW at 6.6 kV.[11]

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the nearby River Goyt and there were three cooling towers, with a capacity of 2.8 million gallons per hour (3.53 m3/s).[11]

Operations

Operating data 1921–23

The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was:[4]

Stockport power station supply data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 1,603 2,450 2,340
Public lighting MWh 200 200 200
Traction MWh 3,110 3,128 3,092
Power MWh 15,693 16,178 21,240
Bulk supply MWh 0 0 0
Total use MWh 20,606 21,956 26,872

The electricity Loads on the system were:

Year 1921 1922 1923
Maximum load kW 9,086 9,256 12,900
Total connections kW 24,000 22,583 27,206
Load factor Per cent 30.2 31.6 28.8

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £139,950; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £69,638.[4]

Operating data 1946

In 1946 Stockport power station supplied 241,693 MWh of electricity, the maximum output load was 72,580 kW. The load factor was 39.8%, and the thermal efficiency was 21.67%.[12]

Operating data 1954–72

Operating data for the period 1954–72 was:[11][13]

Stockport power station operating data, 1954–72
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
High pressure
1954 6966 28 128,479 24.94
1955 6078 28 111,248 23.78
1956 5096 28 99,253 22.37
1957 4285 28 82,687 22.55
1958 4563 28 90,878 2.61
Low pressure
1954 2987 47 83,416 13.95
1955 3356 47 65,680 14.78
1956 2740 47 41,517 15.07
1957 1691 47 38,130 14.92
1958 2459 47 49,173 16.66
Combined output
1961 13.6 % 72 85,754 19.71
1962 29.21 % 71 181,660 19.12
1963 30.3 % 71 191,199 18.95
1967 26.2 % 77 176,985 20.22
1972 6.4 % 66 37,357 17.50

The output of Stockport power station in MWh was as follows:

Stockport Electricity District

Following nationalisation Stockport power station became part of the Stockport electricity supply district, covering 19 square miles (49.2 km2) with a population of 159,000 in 1958. The number of consumers and electricity sold in the Stockport district was:[11]

Year 1956 1957 1958
Number of consumers 55,185 56,085 56,690
Electricity sold MWh 179,400 191,208 202,970

In 1958 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was:[11]

Type of consumer No. of consumers Electricity sold MWh
Domestic 50,952 74,066
Commercial 2,936 20,725
Combined 2,067 7,420
Industrial 663 98,247
Farms 79 413
Public lighting 2 2,099
Total 56,690 202,970

The maximum demand was 65,700 kW, the load factor was 35.3%.

See also

References
  1. "Local Acts 1891". legislation.gov.uk.
  2. Ordnance Survey 25 inch England and Wales, Cheshire X.15 (Stockport), revised 1907, published 1932
  3. Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. p. 321.
  4. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Commissioners, Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 86–89, 320–25.
  5. "Stockport Corporation Tramways". Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 121. ISBN 0333220862.
  7. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  8. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 63, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  9. House of Commons, Written Answers, Coal-fired power stations, 16 January 1984, vol. 52
  10. "Stockport Hydro". Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  11. Garrett, Frederick C. (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-97 A-134 B-236.
  12. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 14.
  13. CEGB Annual Report 1961-63, CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 and 1972
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