| Barnes power station | |
| Country: | England |
| Location: | Barnes, London |
| Status: | Decommissioned |
| Construction Began: | 1899 |
| Commissioned: | 1901 |
| Decommissioned: | 1959 |
| Owner: | Barnes Urban District (1901–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1959) |
| Operator: | As owner |
| Th Fuel Primary: | Coal |
| Th Technology: | Steam turbines |
| Ps Cooling Source: | Tidal river water |
| Ps Units Operational: | 2 × 1.5 MW, 1 × 3.5 MW |
| Ps Units Manu Model: | English Electric 1.5 MW and 3.5 MW |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 6.5 MW |
| Ps Annual Generation: | 4.354 GWh (1924) |
Barnes power station supplied electricity to the urban district of Barnes in south west London from 1901 to 1959. It was owned and operated by Barnes District Council until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was decommissioned in 1959 and the building has been reused.
In 1898 Barnes Urban District Council applied for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the district. This was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 4) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. xl).[1] The power station was built in Mortlake High Street (51°28'13"N 0°15'29"W) and first supplied electricity in May 1901.[2]
The original plant at power station comprised five reciprocating engines driven by steam from coal-fired boilers:[3]
These gave a total direct current generating capacity of 1,500 kW.
Following the First World War a 1,500 kW turbo-alternator was installed; this generated an alternating current supply.
By 1954 the plant comprised:[4]
Cooling water was taken from the River Thames.
Electricity was supplied to customers at 210 and 420 volts DC.
Operational data for the early years of operation was as follows:[5] [6] [7]
| 1912 | 2,886 | 584 | 2,873 | 1,312.9 | 19.5 | |
| 1919 | 3,764 | 602 | 4,454 | 2,633.8 | 28.8 | |
| 1920 | 3,900 | 607 | 4,693 | 2,063.3 | 21.0 | |
| 1921 | 6,000 | 2,771.6 | 24.4 | |||
| 1922 | 7,314 | 3,354.3 | 24.4 | |||
| 1923 | 7,824 | 3,754.6 | 24.9 | |||
| 1924 | 4,879 | 678 | 8,000 | 4,354.2 | 22.0 |
The data demonstrates the growth in number of consumers, lamps and the amount of current sold.
The operating data for the period 1921–23 is as follows:
| Units | Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | |||
| Lighting and domestic use | MWh | 1,175 | 1,320 | 1,574 | |
| Public lighting use | MWh | 317 | 324 | 335 | |
| Traction | MWh | – | – | – | |
| Power use | MWh | 1,279 | 1,710 | 1,845 | |
| Total use | MWh | 2,772 | 3,354 | 3,755 | |
| Load | |||||
| Maximum load | kW | 1,475 | 1,750 | 2,000 | |
| Financial | |||||
| Revenue from sales of current | £ | – | 42,240 | 39,934 | |
| Surplus of revenue over expenses | £ | – | 18,314 | 18,297 | |
Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16-17 Geo. 5 c. 51)[8] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926.[9] 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. Barnes power station was electrically connected to Hammersmith power station by three underground 6.6 kV circuits.[10]
Barnes power station operating data for 1937 and 1946 is given below:[11] [12]
| 1937 | 35.2 | 5,976 | 16,233.8 purchased from the CEB, none generated | 28,278 | 11,085 | |
| 1946 | – | 5,360 | 2,858.4 | – | – |
The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10-11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[13] The Barnes electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Barnes power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Barnes electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).
Operating data for the period 1954–58 is shown in the table:
| 1954 | 419 | 6 | 1,395 | 10.00 | |
| 1955 | 346 | 6 | 960 | 8.43 | |
| 1956 | 471 | 6 | 1,118 | 9.98 | |
| 1957 | 113 | 6 | 319 | 5.40 | |
| 1958 | 200 | 6 | 700 | 7.86 |
The data demonstrates the low utilization of the plant during its final years. The amount of electricity, in MWh, sent out by Barnes power station throughout its operational life is:
Barnes power station was decommissioned on 1959.[14] The equipment was removed and the buildings were redeveloped, and are called 'The Old Power Station'.