North Point Power Station
Encyclopedia
North Point Power Station was a former power station in Hong Kong located on Electric Road
near Fortress Hill
to the west side of the City Garden
), built to replace the inadequate Wan Chai
Power Station. It was owned and operated by Hong Kong Electric
was chosen as the location for the new power station because at the time of construction it was a long way from the Hong Kong urban area of Victoria. The project began in 1913 but due to the outbreak of World War I
the plant did not become operational until the summer of 1919.
On commissioning the plant had a total generating capacity of around 3 MW. The road in front of the site was renamed Electric Road while the presence of the plant gave nearby "Power Street" (大強街) its name.
In 1941, during the Battle of Hong Kong
just prior to the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
the plant was severely damaged. Casualties from the battle included the plant's manager Vincent Sorby, who later died in a prison camp of wounds received during the attack. After the war, the plant was repaired and extended several times to cope with growing electricity demand in 1950s Hong Kong. By 1966 its output had reached 34 MW.
On March 25, 1977, a fire broke out at the plant causing massive power cuts in the Central
and Chai Wan districts.
Aside from the above incident, except for during its early years and because of wartime damage, only two blackouts
occurred at North Point during its operational lifetime. One was caused by a fire at the plant in 1930 and the other occurred when a shoal of fish were sucked into the cooling system the same year.
As Hong Kong developed, North Point Power Station was gradually assimilated into the urban area. In 1968, the plant's adverse affect on the local environment led to Hong Kong Electric building a new power station at Ap Lei Chau
. North Point was officially decommissioned in 1978. The former power station is now part of the large scale City Garden
housing development.
Electric Road
Electric Road is a road in North Point on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. Its spans from Fortress Hill of North Point and Tin Hau area of Causeway Bay. The road connects east onto Java Road.-History:...
near Fortress Hill
Fortress Hill
Fortress Hill is a hill and an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is on the western end of the North Point area, and is to the east of Causeway Bay. There are a number of private residential estates, office buildings, hotels and serviced apartments in this area.-Features:*...
to the west side of the City Garden
City Garden
City Garden , is a private housing estate in North Point, Hong Kong. It was built from 1983 to 1986 by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited. It consists of 14 blocks, each 28 storeys tall. Part of the site was occupied North Point Power Station before 1983....
), built to replace the inadequate Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
Power Station. It was owned and operated by Hong Kong Electric
History
North PointNorth Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...
was chosen as the location for the new power station because at the time of construction it was a long way from the Hong Kong urban area of Victoria. The project began in 1913 but due to the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the plant did not become operational until the summer of 1919.
On commissioning the plant had a total generating capacity of around 3 MW. The road in front of the site was renamed Electric Road while the presence of the plant gave nearby "Power Street" (大強街) its name.
In 1941, during the Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
just prior to the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
the plant was severely damaged. Casualties from the battle included the plant's manager Vincent Sorby, who later died in a prison camp of wounds received during the attack. After the war, the plant was repaired and extended several times to cope with growing electricity demand in 1950s Hong Kong. By 1966 its output had reached 34 MW.
On March 25, 1977, a fire broke out at the plant causing massive power cuts in the Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
and Chai Wan districts.
Aside from the above incident, except for during its early years and because of wartime damage, only two blackouts
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
occurred at North Point during its operational lifetime. One was caused by a fire at the plant in 1930 and the other occurred when a shoal of fish were sucked into the cooling system the same year.
As Hong Kong developed, North Point Power Station was gradually assimilated into the urban area. In 1968, the plant's adverse affect on the local environment led to Hong Kong Electric building a new power station at Ap Lei Chau
Ap Lei Chau
Ap Lei Chau , or Aberdeen Island, is an island of Hong Kong, located south-west of Hong Kong Island, next to Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel, with an area of 1.30 km². Administratively, it is part of Southern District. Ap Lei Chau is the third most densely populated island in the world.-...
. North Point was officially decommissioned in 1978. The former power station is now part of the large scale City Garden
City Garden
City Garden , is a private housing estate in North Point, Hong Kong. It was built from 1983 to 1986 by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited. It consists of 14 blocks, each 28 storeys tall. Part of the site was occupied North Point Power Station before 1983....
housing development.