Balmain Power Station

The Balmain Power Station was located at Iron Cove, from Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The station no longer exists and residential properties now occupy the site. This plant is often confused with the White Bay Power Station, the remains of which are still standing in Rozelle.

History

In 1903, the Public Health Department directed Balmain Council to find alternatives to the open tip dumping of local rubbish. The council invited tenders for a combined garbage destructor and power plant and on 30 September 1909, the newly constructed power station 'A' commenced operation. A second phase of construction took place between 1940 and 1950 with the addition of Parsons steam turbines in what became known as station 'B'. This doubled the generation capacity of the plant, bringing it to 107 MW.

The original station was a private facility, owned by the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation (EL&PSC), which supplied electricity to consumers and businesses in Balmain, Leichhardt, Ashfield, Newtown and Petersham. It also supplied power to large enterprises in the local area including Mort's Dock and the Balmain Colliery.

In 1950, The Electricity Commission (Balmain Electric Light Company Purchase) Act was passed to embody the acquisition of the plant by the New South Wales Electricity Commission. A legal dispute over the valuation of the power station then ensued which delayed the sale until January 1957 when the plant changed hands for A£1.2M. The plant continued to...
Read More