Warrington power station

Warrington power station supplied electricity to the town of Warrington, Lancashire (now Cheshire) and the surrounding area from about 1900 to 1979. The power station was initially developed by the Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited, this was taken over by Warrington Corporation, which operated the power station prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

Warrington power station
CountryEngland
LocationWarrington
Coordinates53°23′08″N 02°35′10″W
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Commission date1900
Decommission date1979
Owner(s)Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited
(1900–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1979)
Operator(s)As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling sourceRiver water
Power generation
Units operational3 x 20 MW, 1 x 30 MW
Make and modelEnglish Electric, Brush Ljungstrom
Annual net output161,474 MWh (1946)

History

Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited was registered in January 1898 to generate and supply electricity to Warrington. A Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 11) Act 1898 (61 & 62  Vict. c. xciv).[1]The power station was built in Howley, Warrington (53°23’08”N, 2°35’10”W).[2] [3] Equipment was added to meet the rising demand for electricity; by 1922  it had a generating capacity of 7,750 kW.[4]

From the establishment of the Warrington Corporation Tramways in 1902 the power station supplied electric current to tram system. The trams were decommissioned in 1935.[5]

Warrington 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 on the Warrington ring were Ribble (Preston), Southport, Lister Drive (Liverpool) and Westwood (Wigan).[6]

New plant was installed and the output of the power station was uprated in 1940, 1944, 1946 and 1952.[7]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[8] The Warrington electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Warrington power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[9] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Warrington electricity undertaking were transferred to the North Western Electricity Board (NORWEB).

Warrington power station was closed on 29 October 1979.[10]

Equipment specification

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 193,000 lb/h (24.3 kg/s) of steam to:[4]

  • 1 × 1,000 kW steam turbo-alternator AC
  • 1 × 2,000 kW steam turbo-alternator AC
  • 1 × 3,000 kW steam turbo-alternator AC
  • 2 × 250 kW reciprocating engines with DC generator
  • 1 × 500 kW reciprocating engine with DC generator
  • 1 × 750 kW reciprocating engine with DC generator

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 7,750 kW comprising 6,000 kW of alternating current (AC) plus 1,750 kW of direct current (DC).[4]

The following electricity supplies were available to consumers:

  • 440 & 380 Volts, 3-phase, 50 Hz AC
  • 250 & 220 Volts, 3-phase, 50 Hz AC
  • 460 & 230 Volts DC

Plant in 1940–52

In 1940 the old plant had a capacity of 12 MW; new plant with a generating capacity of 20 MW was installed. This was followed by extensions of 20 MW (1944), 20 MW (1946) and 30 MW (1952). The old plant was decommissioned in March 1949.[7]

By 1954 the plant comprised:[7]

  • Boilers:
    • 5 × Simon Carves 200,000 lb/h (25.2 kg/s) boilers, steam conditions were 425 psi and 825°F (29.3 bar and 441°C), steam was supplied to:
  • Generators:
    • 3 × 20 MW English Electric turbo-alternator (commissioned 1940, 1944 and 1946)
    • 1 × 30 MW Brush Ljungstrom (commissioned December 1952)

The total generating capacity was 90 MW at 6.6 kV.[7]

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the adjacent River Mersey.[7]

Operations

Operating data 1921–23

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

Warrington power station supply data 1921–23

Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 730 858 1,055
Public lighting MWh 73 86 86
Traction MWh 656 632 624
Power MWh 8,877 7,075 10,232
Bulk supply MWh 0 0 0
Total use MWh 10,337 8,652 12,048

Electricity Loads on the system were:[4]

Year 1921 1922 1923
Maximum load kW 5,365 5,413 5,870
Total connections kW 11,538 12,247 13,227
Load factor Per cent 27.0 22.6 28.4

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £92,474; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £51,584.[4]

Operating data 1946

In 1946 Warrington power station supplied 161,474 MWh of electricity; the maximum output load was 60,258 kW. The load factor was 31.4 %, and the thermal efficiency was 20.88 %.[11]

Operating data 1954–78

Operating data for the period 1954–78 was:[7] [12] [13]

Warrington power station operating data, 1954–78
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1954 6882 85 300,848 22.27
1955 5952 85 264,621 21.53
1956 6181 85 226,672 21.52
1957 7654 85 259,375 21.81
1958 7633 85 244,544 22.04
1961 26.0 % 86 196,103 21.04
1962 24.3 % 86 183,239 21.26
1963 25.24 % 86 190,170 21.00
1967 31.0 % 86 233,265 21.18
1972 14.4 % 86 108,658 19.27
1978 0.7 % 51 3.06 10.42

Warrington Electricity District

Following nationalisation in 1948 Warrington power station became part of the Warrington electricity supply district, covering 51 square miles (132 km2) with a population of 127,000 in 1958. The number of consumers and electricity sold in the Warrington district was:[7]

Year 1957 1958
Number of consumers 40,586 41,689
Electricity sold MWh 373,176 377,404

In 1958 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was:[7]

Type of consumer No. of consumers Electricity sold MWh
Domestic 37,864 58,551
Shops and Offices 2,773 49,088
Factories 663 266,133
Farms 385 2,155
Public lighting 4 1477
Total 41,689 377,404

The maximum demand was 86,680 kW, the load factor was 49.7 %.

See also

References
  1. "Local Acts 1898". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. Ordnance Survey 25 inch England and Wales, Lancashire CXVI.1 (Warrington), revised 1905, published 1907
  3. Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. p. 333.
  4. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 98–101, 326–31.
  5. "Warrington Corporation Tramways". Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  6. Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 121. ISBN 0333220862.
  7. Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-105 A-137 B-249.
  8. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  9. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 63, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  10. House of Commons, written answers, coal-fired power stations, 16 January 1984, vol. 52
  11. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 15.
  12. CEGB Annual report, 1961, 1962, 1963
  13. CEGB Statistical Yearbook, 1967, 1972, 1978
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