Accrington Electricity Works
1898 Electricity generating works were built on Argyle Street immediately west of the existing gas works.
1900 Accrington power station opened on 9 November 1900. The station was partly fuelled by burning domestic and commercial refuse (about a fifth of the total fuel, the rest being coal). The station consisted of five steam engines with a total capacity of 970 brake horse power (723 kW) and five dynamos with a capacity of 580 kW. To maintain electricity supply at times of high demand, Chloride batteries with a total capacity of 750 amp hours were installed. The brick chimney was 240 feet tall (73.2 metres).
c.1907 the tram system in the town was converted to electricity supplied from this station.
By 1912 Accrington Corporation had made an agreement with the Haslingden Corporation to supply it with electricity in bulk. The corporation planned to supply current to the Altham and Clayton-le-Moors areas. The Corporation proposed to install gas engines to generate electricity rather than using conventional steam turbines. The Power Gas Corporation installed a 2,000 horse power (1,491 kW) Mond Ammonia recovery gas plant to drive two 1,000 horse power (746 kW) gas engines. See photo - 1000 HP gas engines driving alternators installed by National Gas Engine Co and Bruce Peebles and Co Ltd.
1916 A transmission line was installed to Rawtenstall, so that both stations could supply Haslingden.
By 1923 the plant installed at Accrington power station comprised steam boilers and generating plant: 1 × 2,000 kW steam turbine driving an AC alternator, 1 × 5,000 kW steam turbine driving an AC alternator, 1 × 6,000 kW steam turbine driving an AC alternator, 3 × 750 kW gas engines driving AC alternators, 1 × 700 kW gas engine driving a DC generator.
1927 An 11,000 Volt connection was installed between Accrington and the new Padiham Power Station. This allowed the town to obtain an electricity supply from Padiham.
1928 Selected under the North-West England and North Wales Electricity Scheme
1948 A new generating station was to be constructed by the British Electricity Authority at Huncoat, Accrington, with ultimate capacity of 120,000kW. The initial equipment would be will be two 30,000kW turbo-alternators, generating at 11kV, stepped up to 33 kV through machine transformers. There will be three pulverised fuel boilers. The principal consulting engineers are Messrs. Kennedy and Donkin; Mouchel and Partners, Ltd., were responsible to them for civil engineering works.
1952 The new Huncoat Power Station was commissioned and the old one was used less.
1958 The final year of operation of Accrington station.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Everything Explained