Chadderton Power Station
Encyclopedia
Chadderton Power Station refers to a series of two coal-fired power stations
, which were situated at Chadderton
, Greater Manchester
in North West England
.
in the Slacks Valley. The station was fueled by coal and had six cooling towers and eight chimneys. This station was still active in 1953 but at some time between 1959 and 1975 it was demolished.
& Donkin
, considered other sites for the replacement but decided that the existing site at Chadderton was the most suitable, with a visualised new capacity of 120,000 kW, using four 30,000 kW, installed at intervals of two at a time. However following discussion with the then Central Electricity Board
, this was revised to four 50,000 kW sets, giving the station a capacity of 200,000 kW. This was revised again with the standardisation of unit sizes and operating temperatures and pressures, meaning the sets ended up each being 60,000 kW in size.
Surveying of the site had indicated that the site, some 95 acres (38.4 ha) in size, was of ample area for the scale of the new development. The site was partly made up of waste ground, having previously been used as an aircraft factory, and later as a cotton storage area by the Cotton Board. It also remained occupied by the low pressure Slacks Valley power station and it's 132 kV transformer compound. It was found that suitable rail facilities for the new station were obtainable from the adjacent Caldervale Line
. It was also found that effluent
from the Oldham Corporation's Sewage Works could be used as make-up for the station's cooling towers. These factors helped in the station going ahead. The station was to be built in two phases, the first phases was granted consent in January 1950, and the second phase in September that year.
Chadderton B Power Station was officially opened on 8 July 1955 by Councillor F. Kenyon, chairman of the North Western Electricity Consultative Council, and member of the North Western Electricity Board.
The electrical substation
was left in place after the demolition of the main generating station but, because of the deteriorating concrete structure and poorly performing switchgear, it has been replaced by a £25million indoor gas insulated switchgear substation on the same site.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
, which were situated at Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
History
The first power station to be constructed at Chadderton was built around 1925–1927 for the County Borough of OldhamCounty Borough of Oldham
Oldham was, from 1849 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England coterminate with the town of Oldham.-Improvement Commissioners:...
in the Slacks Valley. The station was fueled by coal and had six cooling towers and eight chimneys. This station was still active in 1953 but at some time between 1959 and 1975 it was demolished.
Development
In 1943, Oldham Corporation investigated the anticipated growth of load on their distribution area, and so a scheme was prepared to replace the existing Slacks Valley station. The preparation plan, drawn up by KennedyAlexander Kennedy
Sir Alexander Blackie William Kennedy, LLD, FRS, FRGS , better known as Alexander Kennedy, was a leading British civil and electrical engineer and academic...
& Donkin
Sydney Donkin
Sydney Bryan Donkin was a British civil engineer. Donkin was educated at University College, London before beginning work for Sulzer Brothers, mechanical engineers, later the Sulzer company. Whilst based at this company's headquarters in Switzerland he became interested in Alpine climbing and...
, considered other sites for the replacement but decided that the existing site at Chadderton was the most suitable, with a visualised new capacity of 120,000 kW, using four 30,000 kW, installed at intervals of two at a time. However following discussion with the then Central Electricity Board
Central Electricity Board
The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board was set up under The Electricity Act 1926 to standardise the nation's electricity supply. At that time, the industry consisted of more than 600 electricity supply companies and local authority undertakings, and different areas operated at different...
, this was revised to four 50,000 kW sets, giving the station a capacity of 200,000 kW. This was revised again with the standardisation of unit sizes and operating temperatures and pressures, meaning the sets ended up each being 60,000 kW in size.
Surveying of the site had indicated that the site, some 95 acres (38.4 ha) in size, was of ample area for the scale of the new development. The site was partly made up of waste ground, having previously been used as an aircraft factory, and later as a cotton storage area by the Cotton Board. It also remained occupied by the low pressure Slacks Valley power station and it's 132 kV transformer compound. It was found that suitable rail facilities for the new station were obtainable from the adjacent Caldervale Line
Caldervale Line
The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
. It was also found that effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
from the Oldham Corporation's Sewage Works could be used as make-up for the station's cooling towers. These factors helped in the station going ahead. The station was to be built in two phases, the first phases was granted consent in January 1950, and the second phase in September that year.
Chadderton B Power Station was officially opened on 8 July 1955 by Councillor F. Kenyon, chairman of the North Western Electricity Consultative Council, and member of the North Western Electricity Board.
Operations
The station generated electricity using four turbo-alternators, each with a capacity of 60 megawatts (MW), giving the station a total generating capacity of 240 MW. The station was planned to use eight boilers, but only seven were ever installed. The railway sidings that serviced the previous station were extended. Four locomotives worked the coal yard.Closure and demolition
Structural changes to the National Grid made the power station redundant in 1982. It closed on 1 November 1982 with a generating capacity of 236 MW. The station and site were sold by the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1984, and demolished in April 1986. The station was demolished by MJ Finnigan & Co. Much of the site has been redeveloped with European Union and UK Government funding to become Oldham Broadway Business Park.The electrical substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
was left in place after the demolition of the main generating station but, because of the deteriorating concrete structure and poorly performing switchgear, it has been replaced by a £25million indoor gas insulated switchgear substation on the same site.
External links
- YouTube - demolition of Chadderton B's cooling towers
- Photographs - more views of the demolition