Kingston Power Station was a coal-fired generating station

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...

 on the 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,...

 in Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 (later Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

). It ceased generating in 1980 and has been demolished.

History

The first station was built in 1893, with an original capacity of 225 kW. It eventually closed in 1959. A new 'B' station was planned before World War II, opening in 1948. The Thames was used both for coal supply and ash removal, and as a source of cooling water. The new station was the first to be opened following nationalisation of the power industry, with the official opening by King George VI, the first station to receive such an honour since Barking

Barking Power Station

Barking Power Station refers to a series of power stations at former and current sites within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London. The original power station site, of the coal-fired A, B and C stations, was at River Road, Creekmouth, on the north bank of the River Thames....

 in 1924.

Generation ceased on 27 October 1980 with a generating capacity of 117 megawatts. The station was eventually demolished, despite calls for preservation as a power museum. The two 250-foot chimneys were demolished in 1994.