Walthamstow Power Station

Walthamstow Power Station supplied electricity to the Borough of Walthamstow London from 1901 until 1968.

Walthamstow power station

Country| England
Location| Borough of Walthamstow
Coordinates| 51°34′55″N 0°01′23″W﻿ / ﻿51.58194°N 0.02306°W﻿ / 51.58194; -0.02306
Status| Decommissioned, demolished
Commission date| 1901
Owner| Borough of Walthamstow
Operator| As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuel| Coal
Turbine technology| Steam raising, steam turbines and reciprocating engines
Chimneys| 3
Cooling towers| 5
Cooling source| Cooling towers
Power generation
Nameplate capacity| See tables

[edit on Wikidata]

## History

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Authorisation for an electricity generation and supply system for the Borough of Walthamstow was granted in 1895 by the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No.3) Act 1895 (58 & 59 Vict. c. lxviii). However, no work was undertaken until 1900.

The station began to supply electricity on 20 September 1901[1] to the Municipal Borough of Walthamstow. The power station in Exeter Street had three brick chimneys and an array of wooden cooling towers.[2]

In 1923 the revenue to the Borough from sales of electricity was £109,909.[3] Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Authority then to the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).

## Electricity generation

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The generating plant and operating data for the power station plant at selected years is summarised in the following table.[4][5][6][7]

Walthamstow power station: plant and operating data  Year  | 1922 | 1937 | 1947  | 1950 | 1958

|
|
|
|
|

Steam raising, lb/hr  | 170,000  | 242,000  | 242,000  | 250,000  | 220,000
Turbo-alternators, MW  | 2 × 0.6

2 × 1.5

1 × 3.30

2 × 0.3 note

1 × 1.0 DC

| 2 × 1.75

1 × 3.5

1 × 5.5

1 × 7.0

1 × 1.0 DC

|  | 2 × 1.75

1 × 3.5

1 × 5.5

1 × 7.0

| 2 × 1.75

1 × 3.5

1 × 5.5

1 × 7.0

Maximum load, kW  | 5,509  | 21,550  | 33,960  | 13,000  | 13,000
Total connections, kW  | 14,616  | 81,039  |  |  |
Electricity generated, MWh  | 14,396  | 65,980  | 16,110  |  |
Electricity purchased, MWh  | Nil  | 68,400  | 124,184  |  |
Electricity sold, MWh  | 11,604  | 62,370  | 108,276  | 11,426  | 3,585
Gross surplus, £  | 44,574  | 90,237  | 49,497  |  |
Number of consumers  |  | 32,843  | 35,142  |  |

Note. Reciprocating engine, DC supply.

There were five wooden type cooling towers with a total combined cooling capacity of 1.115 million gallons per hour (5069 m3/hr).[8]

The generating capacity of Walthamstow power station and the electricity generated over selected years of its operational life was as follows.[3][9][10][6][8][7]

Walthamstow power station, capacity and output  Year  | Generating capacity, MW  | Electricity generated, GWh

|
|

1913  | –  | 5.44
1923  | 14.1  | 17.72
1936  | 20.5  | 3.64
1946  | 15.2  | 16.59
1947  | 15.0  | 18.26
1948  | 13  | 19.26
1950  | 13  | 11.43
1954  | 13  | 6.958
1955  | 13  | 3.53
1956  | 13  | 2.89
1957  | 13  | 1.01
1958  | 13  | 3.58
1961  | 19.5  | 2.39
1964  | 19.5  | 3.41
1966  | 19.5  | 7.06
1967  | 19.5  | 7.34

## Closure

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The CEGB closed the station in March 1968[1] when the thermal efficiency had fallen to 9.30 per cent.[10][11] It was subsequently demolished, apart from a small number of buildings which are retained as Exeter Street substation and Walthamstow tee point, operated by UK Power Networks.[12]

## References

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1. ^ a b Horne, M.A.C. (2012). "London Area Power Supply" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
2. ^ "Exeter Road power station". Facebook. 1950s. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
3. ^ a b London County Council (1926). London statistics 1924-5 vol. 30. London: London County Council. pp. 298–305.
4. ^ Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply 1920-1923. London: HMSO. pp. E98-101, F326-31.
5. ^ Electricity Commission (1939). Electricity Supply 1937-1938,. London: HMSO. pp. E118-21 F412-17.
6. ^ a b "British Power Stations operating at 31 December 1961". Electrical Review. 1 June 1962: 931. 1962.
7. ^ a b Garcke's Manual of Electrical Supply, 1958-59 Vol 56. London: Electrical Press. 1959. pp. A-105, A-137.
8. ^ a b Garcke's Manual of Electrical Supply, 1950-51 Vol 48. London: Electrical Press. 1951. pp. A-113, A-141.
9. ^ London County Council (1934). London Statistics 1932-3. London: London County Council. pp. 330–49.
10. ^ a b CEGB Statistical Yearbook (1964-67). CEGB, London.
11. ^ CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1964-67. CEGB, London.
12. ^ "UKPN, Regional Development Plan" (PDF).