Greenwich Power Station
Encyclopedia
Greenwich Power Station is a standby oil
, gas
, and formerly coal-fired
power station
on the River Thames
at Greenwich
in south-east London
. Despite being over one hundred years old, the station is still available as a back-up electricity source for the London Underground
. The station is an early example of a steel-framed building with a stone-clad brick cover.
architects department, and built in two stages between 1902 and 1910, to provide power for the London Tram Network
and London Underground
which were being electrified at that time.
The station originally had a coal-fired boiler house and an engine room. This housed four compound reciprocating steam engines driving flywheel-type alternators with an output of 6,600 volts and 25 hertz. By 1910 the advantages of steam turbines were well known and four steam turbine alternators were installed in the second stage of the station's building programme. The reciprocating engines installed during first stage were replaced by steam turbines in 1922.
The two chimneys of stage one were 76 m (249.3 ft) high, but following objections from the nearby Royal Observatory
, the stage two chimneys were reduced to only 55 m (180.4 ft).
The next major change to the station came in the mid-1960s when the steam turbines were replaced by Rolls Royce
gas turbine generators, similar to those used in jet aircraft
. These originally burned oil but were later converted to burn oil and gas. The generators are still housed in what was formerly the boiler house. They have a total capacity of 117.6 megawatts
(MW), generated at 11,000 volts. This voltage can be increased to 22,000 volts for connection to the London Underground electricity system.
The station later became the backup station for Lots Road Power Station
, which supplied the London Underground
. However, Lots Road was decommissioned on 21 October 2002, whereas Greenwich has been refurbished, and is now powered by gas
. Power for the London Underground now normally comes direct from the National Grid.
A New Statesman
Arts Diary story on 7 July 2006 suggested the power station as a possible site for a Museum of the Performing Arts, incorporating some of the collection of the defunct Museum of the Moving Image as well as London's Museum of Performance.
was delivered to the large coal jetty
in the river, which stands on 16 Doric-styled
, cast iron
columns. Coal was then sent to the white-painted storage bunkers on the west side of the station. The pier is now no longer used because the relatively small amount of oil used at the station now comes by road tanker. Burning gas and oil does not produce the amount of ash that burning coal does, so it is not removed via the jetty like the coal ash used to be. The poet C. Day-Lewis
used the space under the pier as the site of a murder mystery when writing thrillers under the name 'Nicholas Blake'.
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, and formerly coal-fired
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...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
in south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Despite being over one hundred years old, the station is still available as a back-up electricity source for the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. The station is an early example of a steel-framed building with a stone-clad brick cover.
History
The station was originally designed by the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
architects department, and built in two stages between 1902 and 1910, to provide power for the London Tram Network
London County Council Tramways
The London County Council Tramways was an extensive network of public street tramways that was operated by the council throughout the County of London, UK, from 1899 to 1933, when they were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board....
and London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
which were being electrified at that time.
The station originally had a coal-fired boiler house and an engine room. This housed four compound reciprocating steam engines driving flywheel-type alternators with an output of 6,600 volts and 25 hertz. By 1910 the advantages of steam turbines were well known and four steam turbine alternators were installed in the second stage of the station's building programme. The reciprocating engines installed during first stage were replaced by steam turbines in 1922.
The two chimneys of stage one were 76 m (249.3 ft) high, but following objections from the nearby Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
, the stage two chimneys were reduced to only 55 m (180.4 ft).
The next major change to the station came in the mid-1960s when the steam turbines were replaced by Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
gas turbine generators, similar to those used in jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
. These originally burned oil but were later converted to burn oil and gas. The generators are still housed in what was formerly the boiler house. They have a total capacity of 117.6 megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
(MW), generated at 11,000 volts. This voltage can be increased to 22,000 volts for connection to the London Underground electricity system.
The station later became the backup station for Lots Road Power Station
Lots Road Power Station
Lots Road Power Station is a disused coal and later oil-fired power station on the River Thames at Lots Road in Chelsea, London in the south-west of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which supplied electricity to the London Underground system...
, which supplied the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. However, Lots Road was decommissioned on 21 October 2002, whereas Greenwich has been refurbished, and is now powered by gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Power for the London Underground now normally comes direct from the National Grid.
A New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
Arts Diary story on 7 July 2006 suggested the power station as a possible site for a Museum of the Performing Arts, incorporating some of the collection of the defunct Museum of the Moving Image as well as London's Museum of Performance.
Operations
CoalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was delivered to the large coal jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
in the river, which stands on 16 Doric-styled
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
, cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns. Coal was then sent to the white-painted storage bunkers on the west side of the station. The pier is now no longer used because the relatively small amount of oil used at the station now comes by road tanker. Burning gas and oil does not produce the amount of ash that burning coal does, so it is not removed via the jetty like the coal ash used to be. The poet C. Day-Lewis
Cecil Day-Lewis
Cecil Day-Lewis CBE was an Irish poet and the Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake...
used the space under the pier as the site of a murder mystery when writing thrillers under the name 'Nicholas Blake'.