Barking Power Station

Infobox UK power station
static_

static_image_caption=Barking Reach Power Station.
os_grid_reference=TQ4893882469
latitude=51.5210
longitude=0.1470
country=England
region=London
shire_county=Greater London
operator=Thames Power Services
fuel= Gas
fuel_capacity=1000MW
secondary_fuel=
secondary_fuel_capacity=
opened=1995
closed=

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. These stations were decommissioned in the 1970s and have since been demolished. The current gas-fired power station (originally generally known as Barking Reach Power Station) is near Dagenham Dock, further down the Thames.

History

From the late 1890s until the construction of Barking 'A', Barking Urban District Council operated its own small power station near to their offices.

Barking A power station

The County of London Electric Supply Company opened Barking Power Station at Creekmouth in 1925. In 1927 it took over from the Barking Urban District Council station to provide a bulk electricity supply.cite web
url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42729
title= 'The borough of Barking'
publisher= Victoria County History
work= A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 (1966), pp. 235-248
accessdate= 2007-12-05] When completed the 'A' station was the largest power station in Britain to be built as a complete station at one time.

The site it was built upon was chosen for easy delivery of coal from the Thames. A cable tunnel was constructed under the river. [cite book
last= Smith
first= D
title= Civil Engineering Heritage: London and the Thames Valley
publisher= Thomas Telford
year= 2001
isbn= 0727728768]

Barking B power station

Barking's original 'A' station was extended by the building of 'B' station, which began to operate at full capacity in 1939. The power station was transferred to the London Division of the British Electricity Authority in 1948.

Barking C power station

The British Electricity Authority built a third station at Creekmouth, which was completed in 1954. These three stations were all decommissioned in the 1970s and have since been demolished.

Barking Reach power station

The current station is at Chequers Lane in Dagenham, to the west of Dagenham Breach and the Ford motor works. The station was constructed between 1992 and 1995 and was the first major generating station to be built in London for many years. It is one of the largest independently-owned generating plants in the UK, being capable of generating 1000MW of electricity, which is about 2% of the peak electricity demand in England and Wales.

The station uses Combined Cycle Gas Turbine technology, with gas as its primary fuel. The station is owned by Barking Power Limited but is operated and managed by Thames Power Services. [cite web
url= http://www.barkingx.info/
title= Barking Power Station
publisher=
work= Barking Power
accessdate= 2008-03-08] Unlike the Creekmouth stations, the Dagenham station is located some distance back from the river.

References