ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA
INGENIEUR
ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA
INGENIEUR
Batu Gajah Steam Power Station at Tanjung Tualang , 1953
By Cheo Hong Keyong
View of Batu Gajah steam power power station situated at Tanjung Tualang taken in 1953 . Notice the overhead electric cable connected to the power station through the pylon . A tall chimney was built to emit black smoke from the coal fire boiler to generate steam for electricity generation . ( Photo courtesy of Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia )
The Perak River Hydro Electric Power Company was formed by Balfour Beatty Limited in London in 1926 to generate electricity for tin mining activities in the Perak region .
The Batu Gajah power station was one of the three Electric Power Stations built in the state of Perak in 1933 after Malim Nawar in 1928 and Chenderoh in June 1930 . They were officiated and opened by the Sultan Iskandar Shah of Perak .
Batu Gajah and Malim Nawar power stations used coal and diesel to produce steam to generate electricity . Due to the thick black smoke and soot created by coal , tall chimneys were built to emit it to the atmosphere . During the heydays of the tin mining industry , 40 dredges were operated in Perak . These three power stations supplied electric power to all the dredges in the region . Most of the dredges were owned by Malayan Tin Dredging Company Limited ( MTD ).
Due to world recession in the 1970s , the Batu Gajah Power Station was decommissioned in 1976 and demolished in the 1980s .
80 VOL 97 JANUARY - MARCH 2024