The Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company was an electricity generating and supply organisation that operated in the West Midlands and South Wales. It was established in 1903 and was dissolved as a consequence of the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.
History
United Kingdom legislation
Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Act 1903
An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company to make further provisions with reference to the separate undertaking of that Company and for other purposes.
The Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Company was established in 1903 under the terms of the Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Act 1903 (3 Edw. 7. c. ccxxxvii).[1] Further acts were obtained in 1905 (5 Edw. 7. c. clx), 1906 (6 Edw. 7. c. clxxxv), 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. lxxxiv), 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5. c. li), 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. xliii) and 1923 (13 & 14 Geo. 5. c. xcvi). The name was changed to include Staffordshire in 1905. The company's aim was to supply electrical energy to authorised undertakings and to others requiring a supply of power. Its area of supply included Shropshire, Worcestershire and part of Staffordshire. This was later extended by acquisitions to include Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.[2]
The company intended to build its own generating stations but initially purchased the existing stations of smaller electricity undertakings. These included the following (with the original owner, construction and purchase dates):[3][2]
Smethwick power station, Birmingham and Midland Tramways Limited, built 1904, purchased 1908, closed 1949
Dudley power station, Dudley Corporation, built 1899, purchased 1914, closed late 1930s
Kidderminster power station, Kidderminster and District Electric Lighting and Traction Company Limited, built 1898, purchased 1919, closed late 1920s
Redditch power station, Redditch Urban District Council, built 1900, purchased 1924, closed early 1930s
Hereford power station, Hereford Corporation, built 1899, purchased 1929, closed 1939
Stourport power station
During the First World War the two major undertakings in the Midlands, the Shropshire Company and the Birmingham Corporation, proposed to build two large power stations to meet their joint needs. These would be the 30 MW Nechells power stations and the 45 MW Stourport power station. However, the proposal failed on the question of financing.[4] The Shropshire Company eventually built Stourport power station which was commissioned in 1927. This enabled the smaller, less efficient, stations at Dudley, Kidderminster and Redditch to be closed.[2]
The Shropshire Company continued to purchase, or obtain a controlling interest in, further electricity undertakings and closed the power stations as a bulk supply was available from its network. These included the smaller power stations at:[2]
Blockley power station, Blockley Electric Lighting and Manufacturing Company, built 1888, purchased 1931, closed ‘soon after’
Church Stretton power station, Church Stretton Electric Supply Company Limited, built 1904, purchased 1929, closed ‘soon after’
Fladbury power station, Fladbury Electric Light and Power Company Limited, built 1900, purchased 1925, closed 1925
Ledbury power station, Ledbury Electric Supply Company Limited, built 1913, purchased 1930, closed 1930
Ludlow power station, Ludlow Electric Light Company Limited, built 1906, purchased 1927, closed 1929
Ross-on-Wye power station, Ross Electric Light and Power Company Limited, built 1902, purchased 1930s
Tewkesbury power station, Tewkesbury Electric Light Company Limited, built 1909, purchased 1930s
In addition to the above towns the company supplied electricity to Bewdley, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Evesham, Halesowen and Oldbury.[5]
In 1937 the Company purchased a majority shareholding in the South Wales Electric Power Company.[6]
Nationalisation
The Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company was abolished on 31 March 1948 under the terms of the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalised the British electricity supply industry.[7] The company's power stations and electricity transmission systems were vested in the British Electricity Authority.[8] The local distribution systems and the electricity sales functions were vested in the Midlands Electricity Board (MEB).
The growth of the Shropshire Company's business is shown in the general trend of an increase in the amount of electricity sold and the connected load.[1][5][9]
Year
Electricity sold, MWh
Connected load, kW
1914
14,474
–
1915
20,798
–
1916
44,615
–
1917
55,678
–
1918
62,260
–
1919
33,273
45,326
1920
54,486
49,957
1921
54,496
58,557
1922
34,511
61,240
1923
37,563
68,967
1931
193,431
–
1936
234,900
–
1946
714,526
178,164
The combined electricity output from Dudley, Kidderminster and Smethwick power stations was used for the following purposes:[3]
Electricity use 1921–23
Electricity Use
Units
Year
1921
1922
1923
Lighting and domestic
MWh
1,039
1,192
1,418
Public lighting
MWh
47
45
49
Traction
MWh
4,688
4,317
4,224
Power
MWh
42,124
22,780
29,243
Bulk supply
MWh
6,598
6,176
2,629
Total use
MWh
54,496
34,511
37,583
The amount of electricity generated and the revenue from sales in 1923 were as shown:[3]
