Scottish Power Company Limited

Not to be confused with the present day company Scottish Power.
Scottish Power Company Limited
Company typePrivate company
IndustryElectricity industry
Founded1909
Defunct1 April 1948
FateIndustry nationalisation
SuccessorSouth East Scotland Electricity Board
HeadquartersEdinburgh,
Scotland
Area served
Scotland
Key people
George Balfour (chairman
ProductsElectric power
Production output
473 GWh (1948)
£348,700 (1947)

The Scottish Power Company Limited was an electricity industry holding company that operated from 1909 until 1948. Its subsidiary companies generated and supplied electricity to up to 136,800 consumers in an area of 13,000 square miles over large parts of Scotland.

Foundation

The Scottish Power Company Limited was incorporated in 1909.[1] Its sole subsidiary at that time was the Scottish Central Electric Power Company which had been established in 1903 under the terms of the Scottish Central Electric Power Act 1903 (3 Edw. 7 ccxli).[2] The Central Company had constructed and operated a power station at Bonnybridge near Falkirk.[1]

Management

The Scottish Power company's management board in 1927 comprised: Henry Brown (chairman); George Balfour; J.W. Bowhill; Sir T.O. Callender; and Ian C.A. Murray.[1]

In 1937 the board comprised: George Balfour (chairman); Alexander H. Bowhill; Sir T.O. Callender; Ian C.A. Murray; and Kenneth Sanderson. George Balfour died in September 1941 and was succeeded as chairman by William Shearer who remained chairman until 1948.[3][4]

The company's registered office was 10 Melville Street, Edinburgh.[1]

Subsidiary Companies

The Scottish Power Company went on to acquire the shares and capital of other Scottish electricity undertakings. By 1927 these included:[1]

  • Scottish Midlands Electricity Supply Limited
  • Grampian Electricity Supply Limited
  • North of Scotland Electric Light and Power Company Limited
  • Crief Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Dunblane and District Electricity Supply Limited

By 1930 the Scottish Power Company had also acquired:[5]

  • Fife Electric Power Company
  • Arbroath Electric Light and Power Company Limited
  • Beauly Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Duncan's Electricity Supply Company Limited

By 1937 its subsidiaries also included:[6]

  • Elgin Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Grantown-on-Spey Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Ross-shire Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Scottish Southern Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Strichen Electrical Supply Company Limited

By 1948 the Power Company had absorbed 21 electricity undertakings and had made arrangements for the acquisition of nine other undertakings.[4] However, these arrangements were abandoned as a consequence of the nationalization of the electricity industry. The Scottish Power Company was dissolved and its power stations and power lines were vested in the South East Scotland Electricity Board.[7]

Power stations

The engineering details of the power stations operated by the subsidiary companies in 1921 were as follows:[8]

Scottish Power Company subsidiaries power stations (1921)
Company Power station Generating plant, steam unless stated Total generating capacity, MW Electricity supplied, MWh Maximum Load, kW Connections
Arbroath Arbroath 1 × 150 kW, 1 × 300 kW, 1 × 600 kW 1.050 1,115.1 800 2,793
Dunblane Dunblane Not operational – – – –
Duncan's Aboyne Not operational – – – –
Duncan's Ballater 2 × 42 kW (oil) 84 44.58 40 186
Duncan's Ellon 2 × 42 kW (oil) 84 50.4 50 240
Fife Dunfermline 1 × 300 kW, 1 × 1250 kW, 1 × 1500 kW, 1 × 3500 kW, 1 × 5000 kW 16.55 21,149.5 6,408 8,877
Grampian Not operational – – – –
North of Scotland Brechin 2 × 66 kW 132 177.2 129 956
North of Scotland Inverness 2 × 90 kW, 1 × 150 kW, 1 × 220 kW, 1 × 300 kW 850 818.1 620 2,698
North of Scotland Montrose 2 × 66 kW, 1 × 75 kW, 1 × 150 kW, 1 × 150 kW 507 406.8 385 1,945
Scottish Midlands – – 280.7 200 650

In 1946 the following subsidiary companies and their power stations were operational.[9]

Scottish Power Company subsidiaries power stations (1946)
Company Power station Type Electricity supplied, MWh Maximum load, kW
Fife Dunfermline Steam 7,432 10,850
Grampian Arbroath Steam 2,548 4,120
Grampian Ballater Oil 1.20 74
Grampian Broara Oil 68.6 470
Grampian Elgin Oil 83.2 450
Grampian Fochabers Oil 2.92 42
Grampian Lairg Oil 291.6 160
Grampian Loch Luichart Hydro 13,219 2,035
Grampian Oban Oil 75.1 950
Grampian Perth Steam 442 3,247
Grampian Rannoch Hydro 157,273 44,520
Grampian Tummel Hydro 113,427 23,950
North of Scotland Brechin Steam 3.19 50
Scottish Central Bonnybridge Steam 68,625.7 52,770
Scottish Southern Galashiels Steam 5,157.3 5,805

Operations 1910–1948

Outline operational details of the Scottish Power Company over its lifetime are summarised in the table. The data demonstrates the significant growth of the company.[1][5][6][4]

Scottish Power Company key parameters 1910 to 1948
Year 1910 1920 1927 1930 1937 1948
Generating capacity, MW 1.8 80.0 152.322 181.76
Connected load, MW 1.4 22.0 63.790 457.5
Electricity sold, MWh 2,000 13,030 (1922) 26,600 70,000 473,000
Power lines, miles 18.25 150 3,000 5,185
Consumers 1,400 19,264 63,000 136,800
Capital, £ 93,174 353,858 3,440,173 4,000,000 6,000,000 15,000,000
Subsidiary companies 1 6 10 15 21

Individual power stations continued to operate following nationalisation. These Included Dunfermline (25.4 MW); Bonnybridge (37 MW); and Galashiels (6.625 MW).[10]

Financial

The capital available to the company is shown on the table above. The net profit (£1000) from the company's operations is shown on the graph.[3][1][4][5]

Dissolution

Under the terms of the Electricity Act 1947 the British electricity was nationalized on 1 April 1948.[7] The Scottish Power Company was dissolved and its infrastructure such as power stations and power lines were vested in the South East Scotland Electricity Board.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Scottish Power Company". The Times. 20 July 1927. p. 22.
  2. ^ "Chronological Tables of Local Acts". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Scottish Power Company". The Times. 23 March 1942. p. 7.
  4. ^ a b c d "Scottish Power Company". The Times. 25 March 1948. p. 7.
  5. ^ a b c "Scottish Power Company". The Times. 25 March 1930. p. 24.
  6. ^ a b "Scottish Power Company". The Times. 25 May 1937. p. 22.
  7. ^ a b Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before nationalization Macmillan 0333220862 329–56. London: Macmillan. pp. 329–56. ISBN 0333220862.
  8. ^ Electricity Commission (1925). Electricity Supply 1920–1923. London: HMSO.
  9. ^ Electricity Commission (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. HMSO.
  10. ^ Garett, Frederick (1959). Garcke's Manual of Electricity Supply volume 56. London: Electrical Press Limited. pp. Section C.