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Cardiff power stations

Coordinates: 51°29′42″N 03°08′45″W / 51.49500°N 3.14583°W / 51.49500; -3.14583
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Cardiff power stations
Map
CountryWales
LocationCardiff
Coordinates51°29′42″N 03°08′45″W / 51.49500°N 3.14583°W / 51.49500; -3.14583
StatusDecommissioned and demolished
Construction began1891
Commission date1894
Decommission date1970
OwnersCardiff Corporation
(1894–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1970)
OperatorAs owner
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines and steam reciprocating engines
Chimneys2
Cooling towers2
Cooling sourceCooling pond, river and cooling towers
Power generation
Units operational3 x 5 MW, 1 x 12.5 MW, 2 x 30 MW
Make and modelBritish Thomson-Houston, Fraser & Chalmers, Metropolitan-Vickers
Nameplate capacity83 MW
Annual net output384.68 GWH (1946)

The Cardiff power stations supplied electricity to the City of Cardiff and the surrounding area from 1894 to about 1970. The original power station was in Riverside; a larger replacement station was built in Roath in the 1902, initially to supply the tramway system. They were both owned and operated by Cardiff Corporation prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The Roath power station was redeveloped in the 1920s and 1940s to meet the increased demand for electricity.

History

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In 1891 Cardiff Corporation applied for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to the city. This was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 8) Act 1891 (54 & 55 Vict. c. civ).[1] The original power station was built on Eldon Road, Riverside (at 51°28′40″N 03°11′58″W / 51.47778°N 3.19944°W / 51.47778; -3.19944)[2][failed verification] and it first supplied electricity in 1894. Further equipment was added to meet the rising demand for electricity; by the 1920s it had a generating capacity of 900 kW.[3]

A larger power station was built in Roath (at 51°29′42″N 03°08′45″W / 51.49500°N 3.14583°W / 51.49500; -3.14583).[4] This was initially intended to supply Cardiff Corporation Tramways from 1902; the tram depot was adjacent to the power station. The power station was expanded with new generating plant between 1922 and 1928 which was also known as the low pressure station. A high pressure plant was commissioned in 1942–43 bringing the generating capacity to 83 MW. The power station at Roath operated until about 1970.

Equipment specification

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The initial installation of plant at the Eldon Road site in 1894 comprised triple expansion and compound condensing engines coupled directly to Siemens and Ferranti dynamos. The plant had a rating of 740 kW.[5]

The station was supplied with coal via a siding off the nearby South Wales Mainline railway.[2]

Cooling of condenser water was by a cooling pond west of the power station building.[2]

By 1922 the plant at Eldon Road comprised boilers delivering 24,000 lb/h (3.02 kg/s) of steam to 3 × 300 kW reciprocating engines generating alternating current.[3]

Plant in 1923

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By 1923 the generating plant at the Roath station comprised:[3]

  • Coal-fired boilers generating up to 241,000 lb/h (30.36 kg/s) of steam at 150 psi which was supplied to:
  • Generators:
    • 2 × 300 kW reciprocating engines with DC generators (initial installation)
    • 2 × 900 kW reciprocating engines with DC generators
    • 1 × 1,000 kW reciprocating engine with AC generator
    • 3 × 2,000 kW steam turbo-alternators AC (installed in 1909, 1914 and 1917)
    • 1 × 5,000 kW steam turbo-alternators AC.

These machines gave a total generating capacity of 14,400 kW comprising 12,000 kW of alternating current (AC) plus 2,400 kW of direct current (DC).[3]

Electricity supplies to consumers were:

  • 6,600 Volts, 3-phase, 50 Hz AC
  • 400 & 200 Volts, single phase, 40 Hz AC
  • 400 & 200 Volts DC
  • 550 Volts DC Traction current.

Plant in 1924–28

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New plant was commissioned at Roath in 1924, 1925 and 1928. This comprised:[6]

  • Boilers:
    • 7 × Babcock & Wilcox 40,000 lb/h (5.04 kg/s) boilers, steam conditions 210 psi and 594°F (14.48 bar, 312°C), the boilers supplied steam to:
  • Generators:
    • 3 × 5 MW British Thomson-Houston turbo-alternator, generating at 6.6 kV
    • 1 × 12.5 MW Fraser & Chalmers turbo-alternator, generating at 6.6 kV
    • 1 × 100 kW Bellis reciprocating engine house-service set, generating at 400 V.

Plant in 1942–43

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High pressure plant was installed at Roath in 1942–43 comprising:

  • 4 × Babcock & Wilcox 180,000 lb/h (22.68 kg/s), steam conditions 620 psi and 870°F (42.76 bar, 466°C), they supplied steam to:
  • 2 × 30 MW Metropolitan-Vickers turbo-alternators, generating at 33 kV.

The station was supplied with coal via a siding off the nearby South Wales Mainline railway.[4]

Condenser cooling water was drawn from the River Rhymney, supplemented by two concrete cooling towers each with a capacity of 2.2 million gallons per hour (2.78 m3/s).[6] The towers were built in 1942 and were painted in camouflage.[7]

Operations

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Operating data 1898

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  • Electricity sold: public lamps 99,316 kWh, metered 209,114 kWh.[5]
  • No. of lamps on circuits: 14,136
  • No. of Public lamps: 52
  • Revenue from sales of electricity was £5,670; the cost of generation was £3,242.[5]

Operating data 1921–23

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The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was:[3]

Cardiff power station supply data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 5,775 6,165 7,580
Public lighting MWh 627 658 642
Traction MWh 4,789 4,659 4,568
Power MWh 4,206 5,127 7,245
Bulk supply MWh 14 17 7
Total use MWh 15,412 16,627 20,040

Electricity Loads on the system were:[3]

Maximum load kW 1921 1922 1923
8,720 9,798 10,435
Total connections kW 22,412 26,925 32,664
Load factor Per cent 26.3 26.3 28.4

Revenue from sales of current (in 1923) was £175,403; the surplus of revenue over expenses (1923) was £98,169.[3]

Operating data 1946

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Cardiff power station operating data for 1946 is:[8]

Load factor per cent Max output load MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
53.3 82,448 384,679 19.96

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

Operating data 1954–67

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Operating data for the period 1954–67 was:[6] [11] [12]

Cardiff power station operating data, 1954–67
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied GWh Thermal efficiency per cent
Low pressure
1954 3189 26 39.962 10.42
1955 2480 26 24.218 9.84
1956 2335 26 24.787 9.47
1957 1681 26 15.093 8.93
1958 1094 26 9.643 9.07
High pressure
1954 7007 57 236.691 20.99
1955 5874 57 232.811 21.12
1956 6109 57 233.354 20.05
1957 5546 57 173.721 19.49
1958 3933 57 72.813 18.62
Total output
1961 22.6 % 83 163.987 18.28
1962 18.1 % 75 128.430 16.53
1963 17.37 % 75 114.091 16.52
1967 9.6 % 75 53.947 15.57

The output from the stations in MWh is shown on the following graph.

Cardiff supply district

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Following nationalisation Cardiff became an electricity supply district, covering 80.9 square miles (209.5 km2) with a population of 283,040 in 1958. The number of consumers and electricity sold in the Cardiff district was:[6]

Year 1956 1957 1958
Number of consumers 87,236 89,040 90,837
Electricity sold MWh 487,251 483,462 90,837

In 1958 the number of units sold to categories of consumers was:[6]

Electricity sold to consumers
Type of consumer No. of consumers Electricity sold MWh
Domestic 80,493 128,159
Farms 346 2,341
Commercial 8,804 75,568
Industrial 1,186 289,342
Public lighting 7 5.182
Traction 1 8,662
Total 90,837 509,254

Closure

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Cardiff power station (Roath) was decommissioned in about 1970.[13] The buildings were demolished in 1972 and the area has been redeveloped with commercial premises.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Local Acts 1891". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Glamorgan XLIII.14 (Cardiff; Lecwith) (Map). 10,560. Ordnance Survey. 1920.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 110–13, 338–43.
  4. ^ a b Ordnance Survey Six-inch England and Wales Glamorgan XLIII.SE (includes: Cardiff.), revised 1947, published 1951
  5. ^ a b c Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. pp. 134–36.
  6. ^ a b c d e Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-42 A-116 B-143–4.
  7. ^ a b "Cardiff corporation electric power station Roath power station (418146)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  8. ^ Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 7.
  9. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12.
  10. ^ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  11. ^ CEGB Annual report and Accounts, 1961, 1962 & 1963
  12. ^ CEGB Statistical Yearbook, 1967
  13. ^ The power station is mentioned in the CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1967 but not in the 1972 edition