Balmain Power Station, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Balmain
Power Station was located at Iron Cove, 4 km (2 mi) from Sydney
in New South Wales
, Australia. The station no longer exists and residential properties now occupy the site. This plant is often confused with the White Bay Power Station, the remains of which are still standing in Rozelle.
In 1903, the Public Health Department directed Balmain Council to find alternatives to the open tip dumping of local rubbish. The council invited tenders for a combined garbage destructor and power plant and on 30 September 1909, the newly constructed power station 'A' commenced operation. A second phase of construction took place between 1940 and 1950 with the addition of Parsons
steam turbines in what became known as station 'B'. This doubled the generation capacity of the plant, bringing it to 107 MW.
The original station was a private facility, owned by the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation (EL&PSC), which supplied electricity to consumers and businesses in Balmain, Leichhardt, Ashfield, Newtown and Petersham. It also supplied power to large enterprises in the local area including Mort's Dock and the Balmain Colliery.
In 1950, The Electricity Commission (Balmain Electric Light Company Purchase) Act was passed to embody the acquisition of the plant by the New South Wales Electricity Commission. A legal dispute over the valuation of the power station then ensued which delayed the sale until January 1957 when the plant changed hands for A£1.2M. The plant continued to supply power until 1976 when it was decommissioned.
The station was demolished in 1998 to make way for the Balmain Shores apartment complex which now occupies the site. Only two of the original buildings remain as part of the new development:
None of the original machinery exists in the well preserved red brick building, however at the eastern end hang the original copper
letters spelling the words "Power Station" which were salvaged from the main building prior to demolition.
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
Power Station was located at Iron Cove, 4 km (2 mi) from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia. The station no longer exists and residential properties now occupy the site. This plant is often confused with the White Bay Power Station, the remains of which are still standing in Rozelle.
History
C. A. Parsons and Company
C. A. Parsons and Company was a British engineering firm which was once one of the largest employers on Tyneside.-History:The Company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1889 to produce turbo-generators, his own invention. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the company was producing...
steam turbines in what became known as station 'B'. This doubled the generation capacity of the plant, bringing it to 107 MW.
The original station was a private facility, owned by the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation (EL&PSC), which supplied electricity to consumers and businesses in Balmain, Leichhardt, Ashfield, Newtown and Petersham. It also supplied power to large enterprises in the local area including Mort's Dock and the Balmain Colliery.
In 1950, The Electricity Commission (Balmain Electric Light Company Purchase) Act was passed to embody the acquisition of the plant by the New South Wales Electricity Commission. A legal dispute over the valuation of the power station then ensued which delayed the sale until January 1957 when the plant changed hands for A£1.2M. The plant continued to supply power until 1976 when it was decommissioned.
Today
Power Station 'A' Pump House
This 1934 building is located on the foreshore and was used as a pump house for the Balmain power station. Cool water was drawn from the river and pumped to the station using electric pumps. The water was used to cool condensers before being pumped back to the river.None of the original machinery exists in the well preserved red brick building, however at the eastern end hang the original copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
letters spelling the words "Power Station" which were salvaged from the main building prior to demolition.
Administration Block
The former administration block of the Power Station was built in the 1930s and housed offices for the EL&PSC. The building has since been renamed The Villa and forms part of the Balmain Shores complex. It was declared a heritage building prior to the official re-opening in March 2003.See also
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- Electricity generationElectricity generationElectricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
- Future energy development
- Renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
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