| Birchills Power Station | |
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| Country | England |
| Location | West Midlands |
| Coordinates | |
| Commission date | 1949 |
| Decommission date | 1982 |
| Power station information | |
| Primary fuel | Coal-fired |
| grid reference SP001998 | |
Birchills Power Station (or Walsall Power Station) was a coal-fired power station near Walsall in the West Midlands, England.
The first power station on the site was built for Walsall Corporation. Work began in 1914, and electricity was being generated by 1916, although the project was not officially completed until 1922. Cooling water was supplied by a pumping station on the Anson Branch canal, equipped with two Mather and Platt pumps capable of delivering 10.6 million gallons (48 Megalitres) per day. Spent water was discharged into the Wyrley and Essington Canal. Ownership of the station passed to the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority in 1927, and then to the British Electricity Authority following nationalisation in 1948.[1]
Construction of a second station, Walsall B, began soon after nationalisation.[1] The station was officially opened on 30 September 1949. Comprising six cooling towers and six chimneys, the station burned 'slack' coal, which consisted of fragments of coal and coal dust. Coal was delivered by road, rail and canal. Water from the canal was used for cooling. The station closed in October 1982 after 33 years in use, and the stub of railway serving it was closed at the same time. The power station was closed as it was no longer deemed to be efficient.
It stood dormant for nearly five years afterwards, finally being demolished in March 1987.[1]
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