Acton Lane Power Station
of Willesden
1899 built by the Metropolitan Electric Supply Co Limited.
Originally called Willesden Power Station; the station was later known as Acton Lane to distinguish it from another station called Willesden power station at Taylors Lane.
Acton Lane A station
At commissioning the station was equipped with 16 10,000 lb/hr Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers, fitted with superheaters. Six of the boilers were hand fired, eight were fitted with Vicars automatic stokers and the remaining two were fitted with Babcock & Wilcox chain grate stokers. These fed three Westinghouse engines driving 1,500kW 2-phase 500 Volt alternators. The output was stepped up to 10,000 Volts by transformers and fed by cables to their Central London distribution points.
1901 a further two 1,500 kW sets were added.
1903 Experimented with pulverised fuel firing of some of its boilers.
By 1904, another 6,000 kW of engine-driven machinery had been added, and in that year the first turbine was put down, this being a 3,000 kW Williams (sic) — Dick Kerr unit generating at 2750 volts
1912 A correspondent to The Times identified the Willesden Junction station as one of 6 which should be considered for bulk supply in an integrated London network; it generated 2 phase 60 Hz 10kV, with AC distribution at 100V and 200V[1].
1923 the first three-phase 50 Hz generator was installed using Parsons turbo alternators generating at 6,600 volts.
1924 Purchased from Metropolitan Electric Supply Co together with main transmission lines by the London Electricity Joint Committee[2]
1925 a 15,000 kW three-phase 50 Hz turbo-alternator was installed, together with four Babcock marine boiler of 50,000 lb/hr in place of some of the original plant.
1925 This was one of four stations (the others being Bow, Deptford East and Grove Road, St John's Wood) which continued in operation following the formation of the London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority in 1925; many other, smaller stations in central London were closed.
Following the change in ownership, all the remaining original boilers and sets were removed; installed capacity was increased by a further 68,750 kW using a single-cylinder 18,750 kW 1500 rpm Richardson Westgarth turbine, with English Electric alternator, and two 25,000 kW 1500 revolutions two-cylinder British Thomson-Houston sets bringing total installed capacity to 111,750 kW from eight turbo alternator sets.
c.1963 After a programmed reduction in capacity, the 'A' station finally closed
Acton Lane B station
1950 Construction of Acton Lane 'B' station began; it had three concrete cooling towers and dominated the eastern end of North Acton trading estate at Park Royal. Initial capacity was 56 MW. (two 30 MW 11.6kV turbo alternators by Richardsons Westgarth Ltd.)
By 1963-64 the 'B' station had 5 × 30 MW generators.
1983 The 'B' station closed; at the time its generating capacity was 150 MW.