London Power Company

The London Power Company was an electricity generating and supply company in London, England. The LPC was formed in 1925 by the merger of 10 smaller electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the LPC was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority.

The London Electricity (No.2) Act 1925 empowered companies to amalgamate. The constituent electricity undertakings of the London Power Company were: Brompton and Kensington Electricity Supply Company Limited; Charing Cross Electricity Supply Company Limited; Chelsea Electricity Supply Company Limited; Kensington and Knightsbridge Electric Lighting Company Limited; London Electric Supply Corporation Limited; Metropolitan Electric Supply Company Limited; Notting Hill Electric Lighting Company Limited; St James’ and Pall Mall Electric Light Company Limited; and Westminster Electric Supply Corporation Limited. The Central Electric Supply Company, originally one of this group, was wound up on 25 October 1932.

The LPCs ten predecessor companies had many different power stations generating electricity with different voltages and frequencies. The new company adopted a plan to standardise supply voltage and to concentrate generating capacity at a small number of large new power stations.

Construction of Deptford Power Station for the LPC started in 1925 and was completed in 1929. Construction of Battersea A Power Station was started in 1929 and was completed in 1934. The Second World War delayed the start of construction of Battersea B Power Station until 1945 and it was not completed until the early 1950s, several years after nationalisation.

The LPC had its own fleet of coastal colliers to deliver coal to its power stations. Several were flatiron ships, built with low-profile superstructures and fold-down funnel and masts to pass under bridges upriver from Tower Bridge on the River Thames to reach Battersea. Those ships that were built for the LPC were each named after a person, several of whom were very prominent in the history of electrical engineering.

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