Clyde Valley Electrical Power Co
1901 The Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company Ltd was formed with the aim of generating and selling electricity to the numerous engineering concerns in and around Glasgow. The company initially planned 3 stations at Motherwell, Yoker and Crookston (the latter was never built)
1902 Contracted with British Westinghouse Electrical & Manufacturing Co Ltd to design, equip and build the stations at Motherwell and Yoker. The intention was for each station to have three 1.5MW engine generator sets however late in 1902 the decision was made to switch to the new steam turbine alternators which were beginning to be adopted as the most efficient way of generating electricity and whose development Westinghouse was at the forefront.
1903 Orders were placed with Babcock and Wilcox for boilers for both stations.
The company opted to install only two 2MW sets at each station but to include foundations for a third 3.5MW set at each.
1905 The Yoker station opened
1906 Motherwell opened in January.
1908 the two 2MW sets at Motherwell were upgraded to 3MW each by rewinding; one of the 2MW sets was transferred from Yoker to Motherwell and temporary 1MW & 0.6MW sets were installed at Yoker
1909 two 2MW sets at Yoker were rewound to provide 3MW each
By 1912 two further 5MW sets had been installed at Yoker and the 1MW & 0.6MW sets sold back. Two additional 5MW sets were also installed at Motherwell
1916 A much larger station was developed at Clyde's Mill, initially capacity of 6MW, increased to 12MW by 1918
1918 A 18.75MW set was installed at Yoker
By 1926 Clyde's Mill capacity had increased to 49.5MW.
1926 Through its subsidiary, the Lanarkshire Hydro-Electric Power Co, the company built hydro-electric plant at the Falls of Clyde, the first large scheme of its type. The stations, Bonnington (output 11 MW) and Stonebyres (output 6 MW) were built in 1926 and fully commissioned in 1927.
The Bonnington plant was built in 1927 and was the first hydro-electric power station in Scotland. It generates approximately eleven megawatts of power.The hydro-electric power station near Stonebyres Linn, about three miles south of Corra Linn generates approximately six megawatts of power.
1929 and 1931 two 20MW sets were installed at Yoker.
c.1930 The Motherwell station was closed.
1930s At some point the company changed frequency from 25 to 50 Hz
1930s Took over the Kilmalcolm Electric Lighting Co Ltd, which had built a small station in 1903, a number of other small supply and generating companies, and also the supply orders which had been granted to some of the smaller municipal corporations around Glasgow.
Between 1936 and 1949, four 30MW British Westinghouse turbines with boilers from Yarrow and Co were added at Clyde's Mill which brought the station capacity to 157.5MW.
1937 and 1939 a pair of 30MW sets was installed at Yoker.
1948 The Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company Ltd was nationalised; its assets were transferred to the South West Scotland Electricity Board
By 1949 the Yoker capacity was 100MW.
In both 1952 and 1955 additional pairs of 30 MW English Electric Co turbines were added at Clyde's Mill with boilers from Yarrow and Co, which brought the total capacity to 277.5MW.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Power Stations & Electricity Generation in Glasgow [1]