Barnes power station supplied electricity to the urban district of

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

in south west London from 1901 to 1959. It was owned and operated by Barnes District Council until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was decommissioned in 1959 and the building has been reused.

History

In 1898 Barnes Urban District Council applied for a provisional order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the district. The was granted by the

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and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 4) Act 1898 ( 61 & 62 Vict. c. xl). The power station was built in Mortlake High Street () and first supplied electricity in May 1901.

Equipment specification

The original plant at power station comprised five reciprocating engines driven by steam from coal-fired boilers: * 2 × 150 kW * 2 × 300 kW * 1 × 600 kW These gave a total

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional electric current, flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor (material), conductor such as a wire, but can also flow throug ...

generating capacity of 1,500 kW. Following the

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a 1,500 kW turbo-alternator was installed; this generated an alternating current supply. By 1954 the plant comprised: * Boilers: ** 2 × Babcock and Wilcox 20,000 lb/h coal-fired boilers operating at 200 psi and 630 °F (2.5 kg/s, 13.8 bar and 332 °C), ** 1 ×

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40,000 lb/h coal-fired boiler operating at 210 psi and 680 °F (5.04 kg/s, 14.5 bar and 360 °C) * Turbo-alternators: ** 2 ×

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1.5 MW turbo-alternators, running at 3,000 rpm ** 1 × English Electric 3.5 MW turbo-alternators, running at 3,000 rpm Cooling water was taken from the

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. Electricity was supplied to customers at 210 and 420 volts DC.

Operations

Operational data for the early years of operation was as follows: The data demonstrates the growth in number of consumers, lamps and the amount of current sold.

Operating data 1921–23

The operating data for the period 1921–23 is as follows: The data demonstrates the yearly growth of demand and use of electricity. Under the terms of the ''Electricity (Supply) Act 1926'' (16-17 Geo. 5 c. 51) the

Central Electricity Board The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926. It had the duty to supply electricity to authorised electricity undertakers, to determine which power stations would be 'selected' stations ...

(CEB) was established in 1926. 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. Barnes power station was electrically connected to Hammersmith power station by three underground 6.6 kV circuits.

Operating data 1937 and 1946

Barnes power station operating data for 1937 and 1946 is given below: The British electricity supply industry was

nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with ...

in 1948 under the provisions of the ''Electricity Act 1947'' (10-11 Geo. 6 c. 54). The Barnes electricity undertaking was abolished, ownership of Barnes power station was vested in the

British Electricity Authority The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...

, and subsequently the

Central Electricity Authority The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was a body that managed and operated the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1 April 1955 and 31 December 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority (BEA) as a res ...

and the

Central Electricity Generating Board The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Januar ...

(CEGB). At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Barnes electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).

Operating data 1954–58

Operating data for the period 1954–58 is shown in the table: The data demonstrates the low utilization of the plant during its final years. The amount of electricity, in MWh, sent out by Barnes power station throughout its operational life is:

Closure

Barnes power station was decommissioned on 1959.Barnes power station is mentioned in ''Garcke's Manual'' vol. 56 (1958-9) but does not appear in vol. 57 (1959-60) nor in statistical data published by the CEGB after 1958 The equipment was removed and the buildings were redeveloped, and are called 'The Old Power Station'.

References

{{LB Richmond 1901 establishments in England 1959 disestablishments in England Barnes, London Coal-fired power stations in England Demolished power stations in the United Kingdom Former power stations in London Power stations on the River Thames