Nechells power stations

Birmingham had been supplied with electricity from several local generating stations. These included Dale End, 1.5 MW (1891); Water Street, 3.5 MW (1895); Aston Manor, 7 MW, (1903); Handsworth, 1.05 MW (1905); and Summer Lane, 36.5 MW (1906).[1] The growth of demand for electricity meant that increasing generating capacity was needed. A large power station at Nechells was identified in 1912 as being necessary to meet current and future demand.[1]

At the start of the first world war the Birmingham Corporation together with Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company proposed to build two large power stations one at Nechells (2 × 15 MW alternators) and one at Stourport (3 × 15 MW machines) to meet their needs. However, the cost £2.75 million was too much and even the government refuse to support the proposal.[2]

The 1914-18 war created an additional significant demand for electricity. The City of Birmingham Electricity Supply Department decided that a temporary power station should be constructed at Nechells rather than to wait for the large power station to be built and commissioned. The temporary station was completed in 1915.[1] The station was owned and operated by the City of Birmingham Electricity Supply Department.

The plant comprised:[3]

• Boilers with a total steam generating capacity of 420,000 lbs/hour (52.9 kg/s)  
• Two 5.0 MW turbo-alternators
• Two 6.0 MW turbo-alternators

The total electricity output capacity was 22.0 MW.[3] The temporary station was decommissioned and demolished in the late 1920s.

Located off Aston Church Street, Nechells. Construction started in 1914 and commercial operation began in 1922.[1] It was opened by the Prince of Wales on 13 June 1923. The A station was owned and operated by the City of Birmingham Electricity Supply Department. Following nationalisation of the electricity in 1948 ownership was transferred to the British Electricity Authority (1948-55), the Central Electricity Authority (1955-58) and finally to the Central Electricity Generating Board (1958-69).

The plant at the A station comprised:[4]

• Boilers, 17 Babcock & Wilcox, and one Simon Carves with a total evaporative capacity of 694,000 lbs/hour (87.4 kg/s). Steam conditions were 320 psi and 710 °F (22.1 barg and 377 °C)
• Two 18.75 MW British Thomson-Houston turbo-alternators
• Four 18.75 MW General Electric Company turbo-alternators
• Two 1.875 MW DC turbo-generators
• Cooling was by 35 wooden cooling towers with a total capacity of 6.057 million gallons per hour (7.65 m³/s)

The station was commissioned in phases as the generating machines were available, these were in July 1922, November 1922, June 1924, March 1925, September 1925, and May 1927.[4]  Turbo-alternators 5 and 6 were supplied with steam from the B station.[4]

The output of the A station over the period 1946-69 was:[4][5] [6]

The A station was closed in 1969.

Nechells B was approved by the Central Electricity Board in 1945. It was built adjacent to the A station. The B station was owned and operated by the British Electricity Authority (1948-55), the Central Electricity Authority (1955-58) and finally to the Central Electricity Generating Board (1958-82).[4][5]

The plant comprised:[5]

• Boilers, 12 International Combustion, with a total evaporative capacity of 2,760,000 lbs/hour (348 kg/s). Steam conditions were 675 psi and 850 °F (46.56 barg and 454 °C)
• Four Parsons 52.5 MW turbo-alternators
• Cooling was by three ferro-concrete cooling towers each of 4 million gallons per hour (5.05 m³/s)

The station opened in stages: June 1951, December 1951, November 1952 and September 1953.

The output of the station over the period 1954 to 1982 was:[4][5][6][7][8][9]

The B station closed on 1 November 1982. It was subsequently demolished.

• Hams Hall power stations