Salisbury power station

Salisbury power station supplied electricity to the English city of Salisbury and the surrounding area from 1898 to c. 1970. It was owned and operated by Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped several times to incorporate new plant to replace retired equipment. The facilities included a water driven turbine.

History In 1895 Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited (registered on 20 June 1894) applied for a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the city. The was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 5) Act 1895 (58 & 59 Vict. c. cii).

The power station was built at Town Mill, a former 18th-century water mill on the River Avon, just upstream of Fisherton Bridge in the city centre ().Ordnance Survey 25 inch England Wiltshire LXVI.11 (Laverstock; Netherhampton; New Sarum), revised 1923, published 1926 It first supplied electricity on 22 June 1898.

Equipment specification The original plant at the power station comprised a 60 horse-power (45 kW) Gilkes water turbine running at 28 rpm and powered by the River Avon. The turbine was connected via belts to Parker dynamos. The capacity of the plant was 120 kW and there were 1,000 lamps connected to the system. In 1898 a new coal-fired steam plant was being built, equipped with Belliss engines and Parker dynamos.

Plant in 1923 By 1923 the generating plant comprised:

Coal-fired boilers generating up to 21,000 lb/h (2.64 kg/s) of steam which was fed to: Generators: 1 × 90 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator 1 × 100 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator 1 × 180 kW reciprocating engine driving a generator 2 × 200 kW reciprocating engines driving generators

The station also had a 30 kW water turbine. These machines gave a total generating capacity of 800 kW of direct current (DC).

The supply to consumers was at 420 and 210 volts DC.

Plant in 1955 The plant in 1955 comprised:

Boilers: 4 × Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers with a total evaporative capacity 49,000 lb/h (6.2 kg/s), producing steam at 200 psi and 700 °F (13.8 bar, 371 °C) which was fed to: Turbo-alternators: 1 × English Electric 0.75 MW turbo-alternator, generating at 11 kV 1 × English Electric 0.55 MW turbo-alternator, generating at 11 kV 1 × Brush 1.60 MW, turbo-alternators, generating at 6.6 kV.

The total installed generating capacity was 2.9 MW, with an output capacity of 3MW.

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the River Avon.

Operations There was a trend for electricity consumption to increase during the course of the First World War (1914–1919). It was noted the Salisbury (and Taunton) municipal electricity undertakings suffered a fall in electricity sales in this period, associated with the lack of industry in these areas.

Operating data 1921–23 The operating data for the period 1921–23 is shown in the table: +Salisbury power station operating data 1921–23Electricity UseUnitsYear192119221923Lighting and domestic useMWh414437495Public lighting useMWh0.60.62.4TractionMWh000Power useMWh239247244Total useMWh653685741Load and connected loadMaximum loadkW467520552Total connectionskW216222872375Load factorPer cent19.618.618.9FinancialRevenue from sales of current£–17,03618,151Surplus of revenue over expenses£–8,86210,512 Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 51) the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established. The CEB identified high efficiency 'selected' power stations that would supply electricity most effectively. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region.

Operating data 1946 Salisbury power station operating data for 1946 was: +Salisbury power station operating data in 1946YearLoad factor per centMax output load MWElectricity supplied MWhThermal efficiency per cent194641.73,7106,06113.75 The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 54). The Salisbury electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Salisbury 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 Salisbury electricity undertaking were transferred to the Southern Electricity Board (SEB).

Operating data 1954–67 Operating data for the period 1954–67 is shown in the table:CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 +Salisbury power station operating data, 1954–67YearRunning hours or load factor (per cent)Max output capacity MWElectricity supplied MWhThermal efficiency per cent19541293327089.851955770316989.5719561053322479.91195734837728.12195814232787.521961(1.2 %)33215.711962(0.9 %)32246.201963(3.62 %)39528.221967(4.0 %)398410.7 Salisbury power station was part of the Salisbury electricity supply district, an area of 421 square miles, including at least part of the districts of Salisbury, Wilton, Amesbury, Mere, Tisbury, Blandford, Wimborne, Andover and Stockbridge. Consumer supplies were available as AC, 1-phase, 240–480V and 3-phase, 240–415 V.

Closure Salisbury power station was decommissioned in about 1970.Salisbury is included in the CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 but not in the 1972 edition The building was Grade II listed under the name Salisbury Generating Station in 1952. In 1979 the site was owned by Salisbury City Council who wished to replace the station and surrounding buildings with a hotel, but this did not come to fruition.

Salisbury power station

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