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Lydney power station

Coordinates: 51°44′06″N 02°32′18″W / 51.73500°N 2.53833°W / 51.73500; -2.53833
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Lydney power station
Map
CountryEngland
LocationLydney Gloucestershire
Coordinates51°44′06″N 02°32′18″W / 51.73500°N 2.53833°W / 51.73500; -2.53833
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Construction began1922
Commission date1923
Decommission date1967
Construction cost£235,000
OwnersWest Gloucestershire Power Company Limited
(1922–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1967)
OperatorAs operator
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologysteam turbo-alternators
Cooling towers2
Cooling sourceRiver water plus cooling towers
Power generation
Units operational2 × 5 MW 1 × 70.5 MW
Make and modelBellis-Parsons, Bellis-ASEA
Nameplate capacity17.5 MW
Annual net output50.6 GWh (1937)

The Lydney power station supplied electricity to 300 square miles (780 km2) of West Gloucestershire, England from 1923 until 1967. The supply area included the Forest of Dean, Stroud and Nailsworth. The station was owned by the West Gloucestershire Power Company Limited prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The station was closed in 1967.

History

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West Gloucestershire Power Company Limited

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The Norchard Syndicate Limited was established in 1921 to build a central power house to supply 300 square miles (777 km2) of West Gloucestershire including the coal fields of the Forest of Dean and industries in Stroud and Nailsworth.[1] Norchard is a location in the Lyd Valley. In 1921 the Syndicate applied to the Electricity Commissioners for permission to undertake the electricity scheme. The sanction was given by the Commissioners in September 1921.[2]

The Syndicate changed its name to the West Gloucestershire Power Company Limited, which was incorporated on 23 March 1922. With a capital of £235,000, work started on the construction of the power house at Lydney (51°44’06”N 02°32’18”W)[3] in 1922. The Company raised further capital of £600,000 by the issue of stock and shares in June 1924.[1]

Key personnel of the company in 1924 were:[1]

  • J. Davidson (Chairman)
  • R. M. Horne-Payne (Director)
  • D. Northall-Laurie (Director)
  • Harry S. Ellis (General Manager and Chief Engineer)
  • Arthur Ellis (Advisory Committee)
  • William B. Woodhouse (Advisory Committee)

The company installed generating equipment in the power station as outlined below. The plant generated and ‘sent out’ the quantities of electricity shown in the table below. There is an aerial view of the power station in 1929.[4]

The sale of electricity generated an income and profit for the company.[5]

Year Net profit Gross earnings from revenue
1928 £60,321
1929 £80,307
1933 £46,785
1934 £51,367
1935 £70,604
1936 £76,245
1937 £81,820
1938 £89,385
1939 £95,932

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[6] The West Gloucestershire Power Company Limited electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Lydney power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[7] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the West Gloucestershire Power Company Limited were transferred to the South Wales Electricity Board (SWEB).

Equipment

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The principal equipment installed at Lydney power station was:[8]

  • 3 × Stirling boilers 40,000 lb/h (5.04 kg/s) steam conditions 260 psi at 650 °F (17.93 bar at 343 °C)
  • 1 × Stirling boilers 35,000 lb/h (4.41 kg/s) steam conditions 260 psi at 650 °F (17.93 bar at 343 °C)

The total evaporative capacity of the boilers was 155,000 lb/h (19.53 kg/s), these supplied steam to:[8]

  • 2 × 5 MW Bellis-Parsons turbo-alternators, generating electricity at 6.6 kV. One commissioned March 1923, the second was commissioned in May 1923.
  • 1 × 7.5 MW Bellis-ASEA turbo-alternator, generating electricity at 6.6 kV. This was commissioned in June 1929.

The output capacity of the station was 10 MW.[8]

The station was supplied with coal via a siding off the adjacent railway line.[3]

Cooling of the condenser was by water drawn from the River Lyd there was one wooden and one concrete cooling tower. They had a capacity of 0.95 million gallons per hour (1.2 m3/second).[8]

Operations

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Operating data over the lifetime of the power station was as follows: [5] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Lydney power station operating data 1925–67
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity MW Electricity supplied GWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1925 7.160
1926 7.423
1928 10.947
1929 13.263
1937 50.573
1938 50.477
1946 27.8 % 36.007 12.89
1947 15.7 40.364 13.22
1948 4819 14 40.132 13.91
1950 4955 15 43.207 13.38
1954 4455 10 24.014 12.80
1955 4639 10 30.406 13.52
1956 3449 10 19.947 12.87
1957 2644 10 13.661 12.31
1958 1146 10 5.364 10.90
1961 2.3 % 10 2.047 9.49
1962 1.5 % 10 1.348 8.88
1963 6.64 % 10 5.813 11.32
1967 9.28 % 10 4.141 9.28

The rise and fall of electricity generation at Lydney power station in GWh is as shown on the graph.

Lydney power station was closed in 1967 and was later demolished.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "West Gloucestershire Power Company". The Times. 30 June 1924. p. 24.
  2. ^ "Gloucestershire Power Scheme". The Times. 18 October 1922. p. 19.
  3. ^ a b Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map: SO60 - C (includes: Awre; Hinton; Lydney; West Dean), publication date 1961
  4. ^ Britain from Above (1929). "Norchard Colliery and Power Station, New Mills, 1929". Britain from Above. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b The Times, 15 June 1927, 25 June 1930, 12 March 1935, 18 March 1939, 25 March 1940.
  6. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  7. ^ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  8. ^ a b c d e Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-73 A-127.
  9. ^ Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 15.
  10. ^ CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  11. ^ CEGB Statistical Yearbook, 1967
  12. ^ British History online. "British history Online - Lydney". British History online. Retrieved 21 November 2020.