Littlebrook Power Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Littlebrook Power Station |
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Littlebrook D power station
Viewed from the south in March 2008 |
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| Country | England |
| Location | Kent, South East England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′55″N 0°14′30″E / 51.465278°N 0.241667°E |
| Status | Decommissioned and demolished |
| Construction began | 'A' 1935; 'B' 1946; 'C' 1949; 'D' 1976 |
| Commission date | 'A' 1939; 'B' 1949; 'C' 1952; 'D' 1981 |
| Decommission date | 'A' 1973; 'B' 1975; 'C' 1981; 'D' 2015 |
| Owner(s) | County of London Electric Lighting Co. (1939–1948) British Electricity Authority (1948–1955) Central Electricity Authority (1955–1957) Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–1990) National Power (1991–2001) RWE npower (2001–2015) |
| Operator(s) | As owner. RWE npower |
| grid reference TQ556764 | |
The Littlebrook Power Station was a group of four power stations. They were built on the south bank of the River Thames in Dartford, Kent. These stations used either coal or oil to make electricity.
They were located near the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel. The last one, Littlebrook D, stopped working in March 2015. All the stations have now been taken down.
Contents
Littlebrook A: The First Power Station
Littlebrook A was the first power station built here. It used coal to create electricity. Construction started in the 1930s, and it opened in 1939.
At first, coal arrived by train. Later, a pier was built so coal could come by river. The station was later changed to burn some oil along with coal. It closed in 1973.
Littlebrook A annual electricity output GWh.<graph>{ "version": 2, "width": 450, "height": 200, "data": [ { "name": "table", "values": [ { "x": 1966, "y": 126 }, { "x": 1967, "y": 71 }, { "x": 1968, "y": 30 }, { "x": 1969, "y": 27 }, { "x": 1970, "y": 68 }, { "x": 1971, "y": 72 }, { "x": 1972, "y": 103 }, { "x": 1954, "y": 526 }, { "x": 1955, "y": 259 }, { "x": 1956, "y": 282 }, { "x": 1957, "y": 163 }, { "x": 1958, "y": 118 }, { "x": 1961, "y": 77 }, { "x": 1962, "y": 84 }, { "x": 1963, "y": 97 } ] } ], "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>
Littlebrook B: New Ideas in Power
Building Littlebrook B was slowed down by the Second World War. It started working between 1949 and 1950. Like Littlebrook A, it first burned coal. Later, it was changed to burn oil.
This station could produce 120 megawatts (MW) of power. It stayed in use until 1975. Littlebrook B introduced new ways of making power. For example, each boiler directly supplied steam to its own turbine. This was different from older systems.
Littlebrook B annual electricity output GWh.<graph>{ "version": 2, "width": 700, "height": 200, "data": [ { "name": "table", "values": [ { "x": 1966, "y": 319 }, { "x": 1967, "y": 202 }, { "x": 1968, "y": 304 }, { "x": 1969, "y": 453 }, { "x": 1970, "y": 338 }, { "x": 1971, "y": 389 }, { "x": 1972, "y": 513 }, { "x": 1973, "y": 442 }, { "x": 1974, "y": 308 }, { "x": 1975, "y": 258 }, { "x": 1976, "y": 9 }, { "x": 1977, "y": 2 }, { "x": 1978, "y": 34 }, { "x": 1954, "y": 751 }, { "x": 1955, "y": 783 }, { "x": 1956, "y": 833 }, { "x": 1957, "y": 848 }, { "x": 1958, "y": 872 }, { "x": 1960, "y": 663 }, { "x": 1961, "y": 574 }, { "x": 1962, "y": 412 }, { "x": 1963, "y": 198 } ] } ], "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>
Littlebrook C: Meeting Growing Needs
Littlebrook C Power Station opened between 1952 and 1956. It could produce 240 MW of electricity. Like the earlier stations, it first used coal. By 1958, it was changed to burn fuel oil.
This station was built because the country needed a lot more electricity. It kept working until 1981, when Littlebrook D took its place.
Littlebrook C annual electricity output GWh.<graph>{ "version": 2, "width": 800, "height": 200, "data": [ { "name": "table", "values": [ { "x": 1966, "y": 832 }, { "x": 1967, "y": 796 }, { "x": 1968, "y": 663 }, { "x": 1969, "y": 707 }, { "x": 1970, "y": 1305 }, { "x": 1971, "y": 1670 }, { "x": 1972, "y": 1277 }, { "x": 1973, "y": 1023 }, { "x": 1974, "y": 509 }, { "x": 1975, "y": 529 }, { "x": 1976, "y": 25 }, { "x": 1977, "y": 56 }, { "x": 1978, "y": 165 }, { "x": 1979, "y": 106 }, { "x": 1980, "y": 66 }, { "x": 1981, "y": 3 }, { "x": 1954, "y": 410 }, { "x": 1955, "y": 699 }, { "x": 1956, "y": 945 }, { "x": 1957, "y": 1274 }, { "x": 1958, "y": 1400 }, { "x": 1961, "y": 1439 }, { "x": 1962, "y": 1184 }, { "x": 1963, "y": 1174 } ] } ], "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>
Littlebrook D: The Last Station
Littlebrook D was an oil-fired power station. Construction began in 1976, and the first part started working in 1981. This station was built to be very strong and reliable.
It could quickly start making power, even if it was cold. This made it very useful for providing electricity when needed. Large tanks on site stored the fuel oil. Tankers brought this fuel by river.
The station had three main units. Each unit could produce 660 MW of power. This was later increased to 685 MW. In total, it could power over 2 million people.
During the miners' strike in 1984 to 1985, oil-fired stations like Littlebrook D worked very hard. They kept producing electricity when coal stations struggled.
The station's tall chimney was 215 meters (705 feet) high. It was one of the tallest in the UK. Special equipment was added to clean the air before it left the chimney. This helped reduce pollution.
Black-Start Capability
Littlebrook D had a special feature called "black-start capability." This meant it could start generating electricity even if there was a total power outage. It could start without needing power from outside.
This was very important for getting power back on after big events. For example, it helped restore power to South East England after a big storm in 1987.
The station used three smaller gas turbines for this. Each could make 35 MW of power. These turbines used special jet engines, like those in Concorde aircraft. They could start and reach full power in under five minutes. This made them great for handling sudden increases in electricity demand.
Fuel Trials and Closure
One of the units at Littlebrook D was changed to test different types of fuel. This was part of research into more sustainable energy sources.
After 1991, the station was owned by different companies. The last owner, RWE npower, decided to close it. This was because of a rule called the Large Combustion Plant Directive. This rule aimed to reduce air pollution from burning fossil fuels.
Littlebrook D stopped operating on March 31, 2015. After it closed, large transformers from the station were moved to another power station.
The Littlebrook Power Station was finally taken down by explosions. The main part was demolished on August 30, 2019. The tall chimney was demolished on December 15, 2019.
Littlebrook D annual electricity output GWh.<graph>{ "version": 2, "width": 400, "height": 200, "data": [ { "name": "table", "values": [ { "x": 1981, "y": 1 }, { "x": 1982, "y": 47 }, { "x": 1983, "y": 656 }, { "x": 1984, "y": 1119 }, { "x": 1985, "y": 14922 }, { "x": 1986, "y": 1186 }, { "x": 1987, "y": 1974 } ] } ], "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>
