| Burton upon Trent power station | |
| Country: | England |
| Location: | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire |
| Status: | Decommissioned and demolished |
| Construction Began: | 1891 |
| Commissioned: | 1894 |
| Decommissioned: | 1976 |
| Owner: | Burton upon Trent Corporation (1894–1947) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1976) |
| Operator: | Burton upon Trent Corporation (1894–1947) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1976) |
| Th Fuel Primary: | Coal |
| Th Technology: | Steam turbines |
| Ps Cooling Source: | River water |
| Ps Units Operational: | 1 x 6 MW, 1 x 7.5 MW, 2 x 15 MW |
| Ps Units Manu Model: | Parsons, British Thomson-Houston, Brush |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 43.5 MW |
| Ps Annual Generation: | 157 GWh (1956) |
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.
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.[3] The power station first supplied electricity in March 1894.
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.
Following the First World War new plant was installed to meet growing demand for electricity. By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[5]
These machines gave a total generating capacity of 8,400 kW of alternating current and 300 kW of direct current.
Coal was delivered at a railway siding at the power station, this was from a connection on the Derby to Birmingham line.
A variety of electricity supplies were available to consumers as:
New low pressure (LP) plant was commissioned in 1924–28 and high pressure (HP) plant in 1941–43.[6]
The working pressures were:
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.
Condenser cooling water was taken from the River Trent.
The electrical switch gear was remote controlled Metro-Vickers.
The operating data for the period 1921–23 is shown in the table:
| 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 | |
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.
Burton upon Trent power station operating data for 1946 is given below.[9]
| 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). 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 for the period 1954–72 is shown in the table:[11] [12] [13]
| 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 |
| 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 |
Burton upon Trent power station was decommissioned on 25 October 1976.[14] The buildings were subsequently demolished and the area has been redeveloped with industrial and commercial buildings.