Yorkshire Electric Power Company

Yorkshire Electric Power Company

Company type	Public Limited Company
Industry	Energy: electricity generation and transmission
Predecessor	Yorkshire Electric Power Syndicate Limited
Founded	26 July 1901
Defunct	31 March 1948
Fate	Abolished by nationalisation
Successor	British Electricity Authority
Headquarters	Leeds , England
Area served	West Yorkshire
Production output	1,176 GWh (1947)
Services	Electricity generation and transmission
Operating income	£1,137,771 (1947)

The Yorkshire Electric Power Company was founded in 1901 to provide a supply of electricity to commercial and industrial users throughout the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It built and operated power stations and constructed overhead electric power lines across an area of 1,800 square miles (4662 km²). The company’s power stations were at Thornhill, Barugh, Ferrybridge and Mexborough. The company promoted and stimulated demand for electric power and it was financially profitable for its shareholders. The Yorkshire Electric Power Company was dissolved in 1948 when the British electricity supply industry was nationalised. Its power stations were vested in the British Electricity Authority and its electricity distribution and sales functions were taken over by the Yorkshire Electricity Board.

In the late 1890s a group of large and influential manufacturing firms in West Yorkshire wished to promote an electric power company to provide a cheap and abundant supply of electricity.^[1] Sixty-three shareholders formed the Yorkshire Electric Power Syndicate Limited. In association with the promoters of the South Yorkshire Electric Power Bill they sought to obtain a Local Act of Parliament to give them the necessary legal powers.^[1] In 1901 Parliament passed the Yorkshire Electric Power Act 1901 (1 Edw. 7 c. cxvi).^[2] The Yorkshire Electric Power Company was incorporated on 26 July 1901 under the provisions of the Act. Its function was to construct electricity generating stations and power lines to provide a supply of electricity throughout (initially) an area of 1,800 square miles (4662 km²) in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Its initial capital was £2,000,000 comprising 200,000 shares of £10.^[1]

As a power company it could only provide electricity for lighting where a supply for power was also provided.^[3] To allow it to supply electricity for any purpose, including lighting alone, the company established a subsidiary organisation: Electrical Distribution of Yorkshire Limited in 1905.^[3]

Further legal powers were obtained in 1910, 1914, 1918, 1922 and 1927.^[4]

The inaugural Board of Directors included several industrialists associated with the iron and steel, electrical, and transport industries in Yorkshire.^[1] The Board comprised:

• Arthur Greenhow Lupton (Chairman)
• Robert Armitage
• Arthur Currer Briggs
• Hardman Arthur Earle (Managing Director)
• Henry Cawood Embleton
• William Paul James Fawcus
• Robert Hudson
• Sir Richard Mottram
• Thomas Octavius Callender
• Edgar Alfred Carolan

The Company Secretary was James Milnes and the Company’s registered office was at 4 South Parade Leeds.^[1]

The 1901 Act proscribed four power stations to be built by the company, these were at Mirfield, Methley, Wath and Bingley.^[1] Three of the sites were adjacent to coal mines which would provided fuel for the stations. All four stations would have access to a plentiful supply of water for condensing steam and providing cooling. The centre of the company’s area of supply was at Mirfield where the first power station was to be built.^[1] The power stations built by the Yorkshire Electric Power Company would outlast the company itself and continue to be used after nationalisation in 1948.

Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5 c. 51)^[5] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established in 1926.^[6] The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively; Thornhill and Barugh were designated as selected stations.

Instead of Mirfield a site at Thornhill 2 miles (3 km) to the east was chosen. Thornhill power station was commissioned as a 4.5 MW station in 1902. It was extended in 1915, 1925 and 1932–37 when it had a capacity of 75 MW. The station was further extended by the British Electricity Authority in 1950–54^[7] and operated until 1982. The site is now (2020) occupied by a gas turbine power plant.

Ferrybridge power station, later known as Ferrybridge A, was constructed in 1926–27. It was closed in 1976. Following nationalisation Ferrybridge B (1957–92)^[8] and Ferrybridge C (1966–2016) were subsequently constructed. The site is now (2020) occupied by Ferrybridge Multifuel power station.

The Company had planned to build Mexborough power station from 1939 but this was delayed by the war and construction started in 1943. It was commissioned in 1945 and had a capacity of 120 MW.^[9] It closed in 1981.

Barugh power station near Barnsley (53°34'24"N 1°31'09"W) was commissioned in 1913. It was fuelled by gas from the coke ovens of Old Silkstone colliery.^[10] This was used to raise steam at a rate of 150,000 lb/h (18.9 kg/s) which was used to drive two 2.0 MW and two 5.0 MW steam turbines coupled to generators giving a total output of 14 MW AC.

Condensing water was circulated through cooling ponds adjacent to the station.^[11] Operating data for the station just prior to nationalisation is given in the table.^[12]

The steam set was shut down in 1958.

Following nationalisation Diesel engines were installed by the British Electricity Authority in December 1954. There were two 2.0 MW Mirlees, Bickerton and Day engines, the alternators operated at 11 kV. Operating data for the station is shown in the table.^[13][14]

Barugh power station was decommissioned in 1963.

The electricity substation at Barugh is still (2020) operational and has connections for 132 kV and 66 kV lines.^[15]

In 1927 Yorkshire Electric Power Company awarded a contract to Transmission Lines and Cables Construction Company of Keighley to build the Ferrybridge-Beal-Snaith 33 kV overhead line. The masts and towers were a combination of 'H' girder steel masts, lattice steel masts, lattice steel angle masts and lattice steel angle towers. They were designed and supplied by W. T. Henley (Henley Overhead Transmission).^[16][17]

The Central Electricity Board (CEB) constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region, there is a 132 kV substation at Thornhill, and one at Barugh.

The construction of the national grid in the mid-east England area was completed in 1932.^[16] The system comprised 16 power stations (including new stations at Kirkstall and Ferrybridge) interconnected by 322 miles (518 km) of 132 kV transmission lines. A secondary system was established in South Lincolnshire and Rutland to provide electricity to rural areas, this used 202 miles (325 km) of 33 kV lines.^[16]

In 1932 the Yorkshire Electric Power Company registered the North Lincolnshire and Howdenshire Electricity Company as a subsidiary to supply electricity in an area adjacent to its existing supply area.^[16]

In 1933 the company was responsible for 2,100 miles (3380 km) of mains, 775 substations and 214 pole transformers.^[3]

Although the company’s remit was to supply electricity over a wide area of West Yorkshire, its presence was not welcome by some municipalities. Some were unenthusiastic about providing a supply to the power company and councillors objected to using ratepayer’s money to supply electricity outside their municipal boundaries.^[18] Others objected to power companies supplying outside a local authority area which might prevent future expansion beyond current municipal boundaries. In Yorkshire, Leeds and other large municipalities opposed initiatives by the Yorkshire Electric Power Company to supply districts outside their boundaries.^[18]

The company actively promoted the use of electricity by domestic, commercial and industrial consumers.^[3]

The Electricity Commissioners were established in 1919 to define electricity districts and promote the establishment of Joint Electricity Authorities (JEA). The Yorkshire Electric Power Company saw the establishment of a Yorkshire JEA as an attempt to usurp the function of bulk supply for which it had been established.^[18] Several Yorkshire municipalities also opposed the JEA proposal and it was not developed any further.

In 1923 Thornhill and Barugh power stations were both operational and supplying the company’s electricity requirements. The quantities of electric power sold and the associated income is shown on the table.^[19]

Power companies became the management and financial centres for the development of the commercial sector. By 1932 the Yorkshire Electric Power Company held 51 distribution franchises over a much wider area than originally established.^[18] This included parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. By 1935 its supply area was 2,481 square miles (6426 km²).^[4] There were 1,411 miles (2271 km)  of mains providing electricity supplies to local authorities, electrical undertakers, textile mills, collieries, steel works, docks and other power users.^[4]

In 1945 the company’s four power stations sold a combined quantity of 860 GWh, this increased to 1,095 GWh (1946) and 1,176 GWh (1947).^[20]

Operational data for the four power stations of the Yorkshire Electric Power Company in 1946 are given in the table.^[12]

The four power stations continued to operate following nationalisation, when they were owned and operated by the British Electricity Authority.

The profits of the company from 1912 to 1947 are shown in the table.^{[21][22][4][23][20]}

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948, as part of the post-war Labour government’s plans to bring the UK’s industrial infrastructure within state control. Nationalisation was enacted under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).^[24] The Yorkshire Electric Power Company was abolished on 31 March 1948. Ownership of Thornhill, Barugh, Ferrybridge and Mexborough power stations was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority (1954–57) and the Central Electricity Generating Board (from 1958).^[6] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Yorkshire Electric Power Company were transferred to the Yorkshire Electricity Board (YEB).

• Thornhill power station
• Ferrybridge power station
• Mexborough power station
• London Power Company
• National grid