| South Shields power station | |
| Country: | England |
| Location: | South Shields |
| Status: | Decommissioned and demolished |
| Commissioned: | 1896 |
| Decommissioned: | 1958 |
| Owner: | South Shields Corporation (1894–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958) |
| Operator: | As owner |
| Th Fuel Primary: | Coal |
| Th Technology: | Steam turbines |
| Ps Units Operational: | (See text) |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 10 MW |
| Ps Annual Generation: | 10,092 MWh (1946) |
South Shields power station supplied electricity to the borough of South Shields and the surrounding area from 1896 to 1958. It was owned and operated by South Shields Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times to meet increasing demand It was decommissioned in 1958.
In 1891 South Shields 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 1891 (54 & 55 Vict. c. lii).[1] The power station was built in West Holborn South Shields (54°59'27"N 1°26'42"W) and first supplied electricity in September 1896.[2]
The original plant at South Shields power station comprised triple open-type marine engines, vertical surface condensing, coupled directly to Ferranti dynamos. In 1898 the generating capacity was 415 kW and the maximum load was 127 kW.
By 1923 the generating plant comprised:[3]
These machines gave a total generating capacity of 6,950 kW of alternating current and 1,850 kW direct current.
A variety of electricity supplies were available to consumers as:
In 1898 the undertaking’s 90 customers were sold 82,172 kWh of electricity, plus 41,729 kWh for public lighting. These sales generated a revenue for the Corporation of £4,842.
The operating data for the period 1921–23 was:
| Units | Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | |||
| Lighting and domestic use | MWh | 1,545 | 1,573 | 1,759 | |
| Public lighting use | MWh | 134 | 200 | 254 | |
| Traction | MWh | 1,894 | 1,902 | 1,971 | |
| Power use | MWh | 4,382 | 3,119 | 3,279 | |
| Total use | MWh | 7,956 | 6,794 | 7,283 | |
| Load and connected load | |||||
| Maximum load | kW | 4,312 | 3,938 | 4,340 | |
| Total connections | kW | 12,309 | 15,970 | 16,656 | |
| Load factor | Per cent | 26.6 | 24.8 | 24.3 | |
| Financial | |||||
| Revenue from sales of current | £ | – | 81,209 | 82,305 | |
| Surplus of revenue over expenses | £ | – | 43,232 | 44,195 | |
South Shields power station had a maximum output load of 10,972 MW and delivered 10,092 MWh of electricity in 1946.[6]
The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[7] The South Shields electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of South Shields 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 South Shields electricity undertaking were transferred to the North Eastern Electricity Board (NEEB).
Operating data for the period 1954–58 was:[8]
| 1954 | 1134 | 10 | 5.042 | 9.59 | |
| 1955 | 1544 | 10 | 8.513 | 11.56 | |
| 1956 | 1501 | 10 | 7.244 | 11.83 | |
| 1957 | 1385 | 10 | 6.128 | 11.56 | |
| 1958 | 1445 | 10 | 5.562 | 12.89 |
| Year | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of consumers | 38,209 | 38,933 | 39,154 | |
| Electricity sold MWh | 97,939 | 103,258 | 110,648 |
| Type of consumer | No. of consumers | Electricity sold MWh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 36,294 | 34,977 | |
| Shops, offices, etc | 2,492 | 13,339 | |
| Factories | 359 | 52,138 | |
| Farms | 4 | 47 | |
| Public traction | 2 | 9,927 | |
| Public lighting | 3 | 2,220 | |
| Total | 39,154 | 110,648 |
South Shields power station was decommissioned on 30 September 1958. The buildings were subsequently demolished and the area is derelict.