Neepsend power station

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Neepsend power station
CountryEngland
LocationSheffield, South Yorkshire
Coordinates53°24′19″N 01°29′08″W / 53.40528°N 1.48556°W / 53.40528; -1.48556Coordinates: 53°24′19″N 01°29′08″W / 53.40528°N 1.48556°W / 53.40528; -1.48556
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1909
Commission date1910
Decommission date1976
Construction cost£250,000 (1914)
Owner(s)Sheffield Corporation
(1910–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1976)
Operator(s)As owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Chimneysmultiple
Cooling sourceCooling towers
Power generation
Units operational2 x 30 MW, 2 x 50 MW
Make and modelBritish Thomson-Houston, Metropolitan Vickers
Nameplate capacity160 MW
Annual net output593,320 MWh (1954)
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Neepsend power station supplied electricity to the City of Sheffield and the surrounding area from 1910 to 1976. The power station was owned and operated by the Sheffield Corporation Electricity Department prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was operated in conjunction with Blackburn Meadows and Kelham power stations and was closed in 1976.

History[]

The Neepsend power station was built at Owlerton (53°24’19”N, 1°29’08”W).[1] The site was between the River Don and the Great Central Railway which provided water for cooling and access from the railway for the supply of coal.[2] The station first supplied electricity in 1910.[3] Further equipment was added in 1914 to meet the rising demand for electricity.[4] Demand increased again during the First World War; by 1923 the station had a generating capacity of 65,000 kW.[5] The station operated in conjunction with Blackburn Meadows (28,000 kW in 1923) and Kelham (5,500 kW in 1923) power stations, the latter provided electric current for the tram system.[6] During the 1920s and 1930s there was only slow growth in electricity demand until the rearmament boom in the late 1930s when Neepsend and Blackburn Meadows power stations had further generating plant installed.[7]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[8] The Sheffield electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Neepsend power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[9] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Sheffield electricity undertaking were transferred to the Yorkshire Electricity Board (YEB).

Further new generating plant was installed at Neepsend in 1948–50.[10]

Neepsend power station was closed on 25 October 1976.[11]

Equipment specification[]

Plant in 1914[]

The plant installed in 1914 included a 10,500 kW Willans and Robinson steam turbine and Diek Kerr alternator. The boilers were Stirling water-tube type each capable of evaporating 4,800 gallons an hour (21.8 m3/h). There were two cooling towers each cooled 330,000 gallons an hour (1500 m3/h).[4]

Plant in 1923[]

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 1,240,000 lb/h (156.2 kg/s) of steam to:

3 × 2,000 kW steam turbo-alternators, alternating current (AC)

1 × 6,000 kW steam turbo-alternator AC

4 × 8,500 kW steam turbo-alternators AC

1 × 9,000 kW steam turbo-alternators AC

1 × 10,000 kW steam turbo-alternators AC

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 65,000 kW alternating current (AC).[5]

Plant in 1954[]

By 1954 the plant comprised:[10]

  • Boilers:
    • 5 × Stirling 160,000 lb/h (20.16 kg/s) tri-drum boilers
    • 3 × Stirling 190,000 lb/h (23.9 kg/s) tri-drum boilers
    • 3 × Mitchell 190,000 lb/h (23.9 kg/s) boiler

Steam conditions were 625 psi and 850°F (43.1 bar and 454°C).

There was a total steam raising capability of 835,000 lb/h (105.2 kg/s); steam was supplied to:

  • Generators:

The total generating capacity from 1950 was 160 MW at 11.4 kV.[10]

There were three Mitchell cooling towers, each with a capacity of 10.5 million gallons per hour (13.26 m3/s).[10]

Operating data[]

Operating data for the period 1946–72 was:[10][12]

Neepsend power station operating data, 1946–72
Year Running hours Load factor, percent Max output capacity, MW Electricity supplied, MWh Thermal efficiency, per cent
1946 – 39.2 – 292,556 19.97
1954 7142 – 151 593,320 21.62
1955 7003 – 151 508,458 22.28
1956 6040 – 151 430,349 21.50
1957 6851 – 151 487,260 22.06
1958 6556 – 151 517,580 21.41
1961 – 41.2 151 544,798 20.72
1962 – 39.0 151 515,293 20.98
1963 – 40.77 151 539,330 20.38
1967 – 42.1 151 557,404 20.77
1972 – 36.4 151 482,370 18.99

Neepsend power station was closed on 25 October 1976.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Ordnance Survey 6-inch England and Wales, Yorkshire CCXCIV.NE (includes: Sheffield), revised 1920 to 1921, published 1924
  2. ^ "Neepsend Power Station, Owlerton, 1932". Britain from Above. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Electrical Extensions". The Times. 12 July 1911. p. 25.
  4. ^ a b "Sheffield Electricity Supply". The Times. 18 February 1914. p. 41.
  5. ^ a b Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 78–79.
  6. ^ "Kelham Island power station". Historic England. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  7. ^ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 219. ISBN 0333220862.
  8. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  9. ^ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  10. ^ a b c d e Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-128 A-78–79.
  11. ^ a b House of Commons, Written Answers, Coal-fired power stations 16 January 1984 Volume 52
  12. ^ CEGB Annual Report 1961-63, CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 and 1972
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