Belvedere Power Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Belvedere Power Station |
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|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Location | Greater London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′16″N 0°09′34″E / 51.504406°N 0.159355°E |
| Status | Decommissioned and demolished |
| Construction began | 1954 |
| Commission date | 1960 |
| Decommission date | 1986 |
| Owner(s) | British Electricity Authority (1954–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1986) |
| Operator(s) | As owner |
| grid reference TQ498806 | |
The Belvedere Power Station was a large power plant that used oil to make electricity. It was located on the River Thames in Belvedere, south-east London. The station could produce 480 megawatts (MW) of power. It started working in 1960 and ran for 26 years. The power station was closed down in 1986 and taken apart in 1993–94. Today, the area where it stood has industrial buildings, but the old fueling dock is still there.
Contents
How Belvedere Power Station Was Built
Belvedere Power Station was built by different electricity companies over time. It was first planned by the British Electricity Authority. Then the Central Electricity Authority took over, and finally the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) managed it. Construction happened between 1954 and 1960. The land was bought way back in 1919. The power station was built across the river from the Ford factory in Dagenham.
The main building was made of steel. It had a large area for the turbines and a taller section for the boilers. The control room was in the middle. The outside walls were covered with corrugated aluminium. Sunlight came into the turbine hall through skylights. There were two tall chimneys, each 128 meters (about 420 feet) high. Three huge oil tanks, each holding 14,000 tonnes of oil, were also on the site.
The power station was built in two main parts. The first part started in 1960. It had four boilers that made steam at high pressure and temperature. This steam powered four generators, each making 60 MW of electricity. Later, in 1961–62, the second part was added. It used newer technology with two even more powerful boilers. These boilers produced steam for two larger generators, each making 120 MW. In total, the station could produce 480 MW of electricity.
To cool the machinery, the station used water from the River Thames. Seven large pumps moved 21 million gallons of water every hour! The oil fuel came from the Shell Haven refinery further down the river. It was delivered to the power station's 192-meter-long jetty on the river.
Between 1970 and 1973, the 120 MW units at Belvedere were among the most efficient power generators in the CEGB system. This means they were very good at turning fuel into electricity.
How Much Electricity Was Made?
The electricity from Belvedere Power Station was generated at 11,800 volts (for the 60 MW units) and 13,800 volts (for the 120 MW units).
Here's a look at how much electricity Belvedere Power Station produced each year from 1960 to 1987. The numbers are in GWh, which stands for gigawatt-hours. A gigawatt-hour is a very large amount of electricity, enough to power many homes.
Belvedere annual electricity output GWh.<graph>{ "version": 2, "width": 800, "height": 250, "data": [ { "name": "table", "values": [ { "x": 1964, "y": 2233 }, { "x": 1965, "y": 2803 }, { "x": 1966, "y": 2851 }, { "x": 1967, "y": 2536 }, { "x": 1968, "y": 2563 }, { "x": 1969, "y": 2216 }, { "x": 1970, "y": 3083 }, { "x": 1971, "y": 3303 }, { "x": 1972, "y": 3023 }, { "x": 1973, "y": 2774 }, { "x": 1974, "y": 1765 }, { "x": 1975, "y": 1869 }, { "x": 1976, "y": 1158 }, { "x": 1977, "y": 807 }, { "x": 1978, "y": 1220 }, { "x": 1979, "y": 1086 }, { "x": 1980, "y": 690 }, { "x": 1981, "y": 241 }, { "x": 1982, "y": 243 }, { "x": 1983, "y": 185 }, { "x": 1984, "y": 182 }, { "x": 1985, "y": 1883 }, { "x": 1986, "y": 265 }, { "x": 1987, "y": 0 }, { "x": 1961, "y": 2294 }, { "x": 1960, "y": 524 }, { "x": 1962, "y": 2463 }, { "x": 1963, "y": 2711 } ] } ], "scales": [ { "name": "x", "type": "ordinal", "range": "width", "zero": false, "domain": { "data": "table", "field": "x" } }, { "name": "y", "type": "linear", "range": "height", "nice": true, "domain": { "data": "table", "field": "y" } } ], "axes": [ { "type": "x", "scale": "x" }, { "type": "y", "scale": "y" } ], "marks": [ { "type": "rect", "from": { "data": "table" }, "properties": { "enter": { "x": { "scale": "x", "field": "x" }, "y": { "scale": "y", "field": "y" }, "y2": { "scale": "y", "value": 0 }, "fill": { "value": "steelblue" }, "width": { "scale": "x", "band": "true", "offset": -1 } } } } ] }</graph> You can see a big jump in power generation in 1985. This was because of a major miners' strike that year. With coal supplies low, oil-fired power stations like Belvedere had to work extra hard to keep the lights on.
There was also an important electricity line nearby that connected Belvedere to other parts of the power grid. This line was taken out of service in the mid-1980s.
When Was It Closed Down?
In 1982, two of the smaller 60 MW generators were taken out of service. Belvedere Power Station was officially closed down in 1986. After it closed, the entire station was carefully taken apart and demolished between 1993 and 1994.
A new power plant, called the Belvedere Incinerator, has since been built close to the old site. This new plant burns waste to create energy.
Past Events
- In 1955, four workers became unwell from fumes in a deep manhole at the power station. Three firefighters from the Kent fire brigade bravely rescued them and received awards for their actions.
- In 1959, a small piece of radioactive material went missing from a truck traveling from Belvedere Power Station. Luckily, it was found the next day in West London.
