# North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority

The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority supplied electricity to an extensive area of North Wales and parts of Cheshire and Shropshire. As constituted in 1923 the Joint Authority transferred all its rights to distribution of electricity in the area to the North Wales Power Company. The authority was effectively the power company. Both the joint authority and the power company were abolished in 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.

## Background

The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority was the first Joint Electricity Authority to be constituted, on 1st August 1923, under the provisions of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 100), and the Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 (12 & 13 Geo. 5. c. 46). The JEA transferred some powers, rights and obligations to the North Wales Power Company, this included all rights of distribution of electricity in the area. From this time the JEA was effectively the North Wales Power Company. The Power company developed several hydro-power stations and extended transmission lines to towns and industrial areas.

## North Wales Power Company Limited

The North Wales Power Company Limited was registered on 30 July 1903 as the North Wales Power and Traction Company Limited. Its business was as engineers, suppliers of electricity, and owners of tramways and railways. It ran 13¼miles of 1ft 11½ gauge tramways in Llandudno & Colwyn Bay, and Wrexham and district. The company’s electricity was generated by hydro-electricity. At Cwm Dwli water was drawn from Lake Llydaw and flowed through tunnels and steel pipes to the power station in the Gwynant valley. In 1915 electricity was generated by four Pelton wheels coupled to four 1.5 MW 3-phase alternators. Electricity was supplied to quarries and in bulk to long distance consumers.
The North Wales and South Cheshire Electric District Order was confirmed on 1 August 1923. The district included Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire, and parts of Cheshire, Shropshire, and Cardegoneshire. The area served was about 1,000 square miles. At its first meeting on 12 October 1923 the joint electricity authority transferred to the company certain powers, rites and obligations regarding the generation and supply of electricity.
In 1924 the North Wales Company issued stock to the value of £2.2 million. This was used to construct several major projects: to build the Maentwrog power station with an initial capacity of 16,000 horsepower (12 MW); to increase the catchment area of the Cwm Dyli power station; to extend the transmission system to Crewe, to industrial districts, and to coastal towns.
In 1929 the British Power & Light Corporation Limited acquired a controlling interest in the North Wales Power Company.

## Technical specifications

The engineering and financial information on the North Wales Company in 1923 and 1937 is shown in the table.
North Wales Co. technical and financial data :
| Year | 1923 | 1937 |
| Turbo-generators, MW | 4 × 1.0 1 × 1.5 | (see table below) |
| Maximum load, kW | 6,000 | 35,700 |
| Total connections, kW | 11,000 | 73,724 |
| Electricity generated, MWh | 6,691 | 36,789 |
| Electricity purchased, MWh | 3,248 | 108,378 |
| Electricity sold, MWh | 8,459 | 127,844 |
| Gross surplus, £ | 31,365 | 261,386 |
| Number of consumers | | 3,435 |
The technical and operational data for the constituent generating stations is shown in the tables.
| | | Electricity sent out MWh | Electricity sent out MWh | Electricity sent out MWh | Electricity sent out MWh |
| Station name | Water turbines in 1937, MW | 1937 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 |
| Cwm Dyli | 2 × 1.0, 1 × 1.5, 1 × 3.0 | 9,582 | 8,904 | 12,176 | 8,924 |
| Dolgarrog No. 1 | 4 × 1.0 (DC) | 1,421 | 52,443 | 42,037 | 59,468 |
| Dolgarrog No. 2 | 1 × 1.2, 2 × 5.0, 1 × 6.5 | 35,351 | 52,443 | 42,037 | 59,468 |
| Maentwrog | 4 × 6.0 | 30,188 | 34,181 | 29,899 | 45,645 |
North Wales Power Company generating plant in 1948 :
| Name | Year commissioned | Head of water | Water wheels | Alternators MW | Output MW |
| Cwm Dyli | 1906 | 1,150 feet | 4 (total 9,000 HP, 6.7 MW), | 2 × 1.0 1 × 1.5 1 × 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Dolgarrog No. 1 | 1909 | 800 feet 1,075 feet | 1 | 1.2 | |
| Dolgarrog No. 2 | 1925 | 800 feet 1,075 feet | 3 | 1 × 6.5 2 × 5.0 | 18.0 |
| Maentwrog | 1928 | 620 feet | | 4 × 6.0 | 24.0 |

## Abolition

The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority and the North Wales Power Company Limited were both abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British Electricity Industry was nationalised. The generating plant and transmission systems devolved to the British Electricity Authority and the distribution systems to the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board.