Lots Road Power Station

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Lots Road Power Station, viewed from the River Thames

Lots Road Power Station was a coal-fired power station adjacent to the River Thames in Lots Road in West Brompton, London, SW10, England which supplied electric power to the London Underground system. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as Fulham Power Station, a name properly applied to another former station a mile up river.

The station was built end-on to the Thames, on the north bank of the tidal Chelsea Creek. Construction started in 1902 by the Metropolitan District Electric Traction Co. (soon to become part of the Underground Electric Railways empire of Charles Yerkes) in order to provide power to the Metropolitan District Railway (now District Line). This allowed the District Line and Circle Line trains to change from steam haulage to electric. At around the same time the Metropolitan Railway built their power station at Neasden.

Completed in 1905, it was claimed at that time to be the largest power station ever built and would eventually power most of the railways and tramways in the Underground Electric Railways group. The station was re-equipped on several occasions. The modernisation undertaken in the 1960s converted the station to 50 Hz generation and from coal to heavy fuel oil, and reduced the number of chimney-stacks from the original four to two. But, in 1974-77, with the discovery of natural gas in the North Sea the boilers were converted to run on gas, with the option of oil firing if required. The station latterly worked in conjunction with the ex-London County Council Tramways power station at Greenwich to supply the London Underground network.

In the 1990s, it was decided that rather than re-equip Lots Road, it would continue to operate until the machinery was life expired. It remained in operation until being shut down on 21 October 2002. Since then, all power for the tube system is supplied from the National Grid.

[edit] Redevelopment

The property company which now owns the site wishes to convert the station into shops, restaurants and apartments, and to construct additional buildings - including two skyscrapers - on the adjoining vacant land. The scheme was delayed because Kensington and Chelsea Council refused planning permission for one of the towers. The other, which is actually the taller of the two, was granted permission by Hammersmith and Fulham Council, but the developer was unwilling to proceed without permission for both towers. On 30 January 2006 the Secretary of State granted planning permission for the development. [1] As of 2007, the developer hopes to complete the scheme by 2013. [2]