Portobello Power Station
General information
LocationPortobello, Edinburgh
Opened1923
Demolished1980

Portobello Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Portobello, Edinburgh which was built in 1923 by the Edinburgh Corporation in order to cope with the increasing demand for electricity in the city.[1] Although originally intended to be built in 1913, its construction was delayed because of the First World War, and it was formally opened by George V ten years later.[2][3] Its electricity was used to power Edinburgh and the surrounding region while waste heat warmed the water of Portobello Open Air Pool.[1]

Original gate on site of Portobello Power Station, with housing estate in background (2018)

In 1938 the design of the station was extended by Edinburgh architect Ebenezer MacRae; its six individual chimneys were replaced with a single 365 feet tall stack,[4] which weighed 10,000 tons, was made up of 710,000 bricks[5] and cost in the region of £118,000 to build.[1][6]

Between 1952 and 1955, the power station achieved the highest thermal efficiency of any station in the UK, with peak output of around 279 megawatts,[7] although an explosion in February 1953 led to a two-hour power blackout across Edinburgh. The explosion, which could be heard a mile away, was caused by sea spray collecting on high-voltage insulators in the main-grid substation.[8]

Original detail from pillar on site of Portobello Power Station (2018)

The power station closed on 31 March 1977[9] and demolished in 1980; a new housing estate was built on the site.[1] During demolition, the chimney had to be taken down brick by brick because of its proximity to nearby houses.[10]

The Portobello coat of arms on the power station was rescued during demolition and it was planned to incorporate it into a new sports centre to be built in the area.[11] This never happened and in 2016 the broken coat of arms was located in a council storage facility in the west of Edinburgh.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lost Edinburgh: Portobello Power Station". Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Remember When: Portobello Power Station's power and glory". Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Portobello Power Station. British Electrical Authority S.E. Scotland Division. 1950. p. 2.
  4. ↑ The giant lost Edinburgh power station that once dominated the city skyline, Edinburgh Live, 8 February 2022
  5. ↑ "Some 'Lum!'". Edinburgh Evening News. 23 September 1948.
  6. ↑ "Edinburgh's great new landmark". The Evening News. January 1954.
  7. ↑ "City landmark bows out with a bang". The Scotsman. 18 December 1978.
  8. ↑ "2-hour black-out in Edinburgh". The Scotsman. 14 February 1953.
  9. ↑ "A pile of rubble that was once a landmark". Evening News. 17 July 1980.
  10. ↑ "Brick by Brick". The Evening News. 11 May 1978.
  11. ↑ "Coat of Arms". Portobello Reporter. February 1991.
  12. ↑ "Calls to restore city coat of arms torn down from Portobello power station". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2019.

55°57′22″N 3°07′12″W / 55.9562°N 3.1199°W / 55.9562; -3.1199

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