Burton upon Trent power station

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Coordinates: 52°48′54″N 01°37′27″W / 52.81500°N 1.62417°W / 52.81500; -1.62417
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Burton upon Trent power station
Map
CountryEngland
LocationBurton upon Trent Staffordshire
Coordinates52°48′54″N 01°37′27″W / 52.81500°N 1.62417°W / 52.81500; -1.62417
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Construction began1891
Commission date1894
Decommission date1976
Owner(s)Burton upon Trent Corporation (1894–1947)
British Electricity Authority (1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1976)
Operator(s)Burton upon Trent Corporation (1894–1947)
British Electricity Authority (1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1976)
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling sourceRiver water
Power generation
Units operational1 x 6 MW, 1 x 7.5 MW, 2 x 15 MW
Make and modelParsons, British Thomson-Houston, Brush
Nameplate capacity43.5 MW
Annual net output157 GWh (1956)
[edit on Wikidata]

Burton upon Trent power station supplied electricity to the town of Burton upon Trent and the wider area from 1894 to 1976. It was owned and operated by Burton upon Trent Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.  The power station was redeveloped several times: including the incorporation of new plant in the 1910s, in 1924–28 and 1941–43. The station was decommissioned in October 1976.

Not to be confused with West Burton power station which is also on the River Trent.

History[edit]

In 1890 the Burton upon Trent 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. 4) Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. clxxxix).[1] The power station was built between Wetmore Road and the River Trent[2] (52°48'54"N 1°37'27"W) immediately north of municipal gas works.[2][3] The power station first supplied electricity in March 1894.

Equipment specification[edit]

The original plant at Burton upon Trent power station comprised horizontal compound engines connected by ropes to ‘Leeds and London’ dynamos.[4] In 1898 the installed generating capacity was 240 kW, and the maximum load was 134 kW. The corporation undertaking had 104 consumers and there were 7,786 lamps on the circuits. The amount of electricity sold that year was 79,574 kWh. The revenue from the sale of electric current was £4,815 and the expenditure on generation and supply was £1,368. This gave an operating profit of £3,447 for the corporation.[4]

Post-war plant[edit]

Following the First World War new plant was installed to meet growing demand for electricity. By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[5]

  • Coal-fired boilers generating up to 88,000 lb/h (11.09 kg/s) of steam, these supplied steam to:
  • Generators
    • 1 × 400 kW reciprocating engine driving AC generator
    • 1 × 500 kW reciprocating engine driving AC generator
    • 2 × 1,250 kW steam turbo-alternators (AC)
    • 1 × 2,000 kW steam turbo-alternator (AC)
    • 1 × 3,000 kW steam turbo-alternator (AC)
    • 3 × 100 kW reciprocating engines driving DC generators.

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 8,400 kW of alternating current and 300 kW of direct current.[5]

Coal was delivered at a railway siding at the power station,[2] this was from a connection on the Derby to Birmingham line.

A variety of electricity supplies were available to consumers as:[4]

  • Single phase, 75 Hz AC at 100 and 200 volts
  • 3-phase, 50 Hz AC, at 200 and 400 volts
  • 500 volt DC for traction current. This was supplied to the Burton upon Trent Corporation tramways which operated from 1903 to 1929.

New plant[edit]

New low pressure (LP) plant was commissioned in 1924–28 and high pressure (HP) plant in 1941–43.[6]

  • Boilers:
    • 8 × Babcock & Wilcox CTM boilers with chain grate stokers,
    • 2 × Babcock & Wilcox land type boilers with chain grate stokers

The working pressures were:

  • LP 200 psi and 620, 640 & 650°F (13.8 bar and 327, 338, 343°C)
  • HP 375 psi and 800°F (25.86 bar and 427°C)

The boilers had a total evaporative capacity of 536,000 lb/h (67.5 kg/s), and supplied steam to:

The completed total installed generating capacity was 43.5 MW, with an output capacity 41 MW.[6]

Condenser cooling water was taken from the River Trent.[6]

The electrical switch gear was remote controlled Metro-Vickers.[6]

Operations[edit]

The operating data for the period 1921–23 is shown in the table:[5]

Burton upon Trent power station operating data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic use MWh 773 918 1,212
Public lighting use MWh 44 44 70
Traction MWh 650 665 670
Power use MWh 5,664 6,530 8,675
Total sold MWh 7,132 8,158 10,628
Load and connected load
Maximum load kW 2,700 3,490 4,145
Total connections kW 8,948 9,960 10,558
Load factor Per cent 42.0 37.0 39.1
Financial
Revenue from sales of current £ – 81,688 75,916
Surplus of revenue over expenses £ – 36,638 34,194

The growth of demand and use of electricity is evident.

Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16-17 Geo. 5 c. 51)[7] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926.[8] The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively; Burton upon Trent was designated a selected station. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region.[8]

Operating data 1946[edit]

Burton upon Trent power station operating data for 1946 is given below.[9]

Burton upon Trent power station operating data, 1946
Year Load factor, per cent Max output load, MW Electricity supplied, GWh Thermal efficiency, per cent
1946 40.7 41,700 148.59 18.86


The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10-11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[10] The Burton upon Trent electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Burton upon Trent 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 Burton upon Trent electricity undertaking were transferred to the East Midlands Electricity Board (EMEB).

Operating data 1954–72[edit]

Operating data for the period 1954–72 is shown in the table:[6][11][12][13]

Burton upon Trent power station operating data, 1954–72
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity,  MW Electricity supplied, GWh Thermal efficiency, per cent
1954 6239 41 135.982 20.26
1955 6202 41 144.279 20.00
1956 6707 41 156.992 19.63
1957 5606 41 118.641 19.12
1958 6208 41 137.347 20.03
1961 22.8% 41 81.991 19.78
1962 34.2% 41 122.81 19.32
1963 20.36% 41 73.13 19.09
1967 30.2 41 111.129 18.81
1972 25.3% 28 62.289 18.70

The less intensive use of the plant is evident. The output of the station in GWh was:

In 1958 the Burton electricity district supplied an area of 122 square miles and a population of 102,500. The amount of electricity sold and the number and types of consumers was as follows:[6]

Type of Consumer No. of consumers Electricity sold, MWh
Domestic 30,250 44,419
Commercial 3,206 16,158
Industrial 331 107,132
Farms 714 4,867
Public lighting 22 1,359
Total 34,523 173,935

Closure[edit]

Burton upon Trent power station was decommissioned on 25 October 1976.[14] The buildings were subsequently demolished[citation needed] and the area has been redeveloped with industrial and commercial buildings.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Local Acts 1890". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Ordnance Survey, 25 inch Derbyshire LVII.9 (Burton upon Trent; Newton Solney; Stretton), revised: 1920, published: 1923". National Library of Scotland. Archived from the original on 2019-02-08. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Gas and Electricity Works, Burton upon Trent, 1928". Britain from above. 1928. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. pp. 129–30.
  5. ^ a b c Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 18–21, 266–71.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Garrett, Frederick C. (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-40-41, A-116, B-141.
  7. ^ "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology 1987 4. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  9. ^ Electricity Commission (1947). Generation of electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 7.
  10. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-10-13. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  11. ^ GEGB Annual Reports 1961, 1962, 1963 London CEGB
  12. ^ CEGB (1972). Statistical Yearbook 1972. London: CEGB. p. 13.
  13. ^ CEGB (1967). Statistical Yearbook 1967. London: CEGB. p.13
  14. ^ Hansard Written Answers Coal fired power stations 16 January 1984 volume 52
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