West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority

The West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority was a United Kingdom statutory body established in 1925 with the responsibility to "provide or secure the provision of a cheap and abundant supply of electricity” in the Midland counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The Authority acquired electricity in bulk from electricity undertakings for distribution, and operated power stations. The Authority was abolished upon nationalisation of the British electricity industry in 1948.

Background
The Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 100) established the statutory body of the Electricity Commissioners ‘to promote, regulate and supervise the supply of electricity’ under the direction of the Board of Trade. The Act provided for the Commissioners to constitute electricity districts and, where necessary, to establish joint electricity authorities (JEAs), ‘to provide or secure the provision of a cheap and abundant supply of electricity’, with the agreement of the electricity undertakings concerned. The aim of the joint authorities was to produce electricity more economically by inter-connecting power stations and transmission systems. The authority would acquire all the power stations in the area and build large, efficient and economic super-stations. In the event only four joint authorities were established: the London and Home Counties JEA; the North Wales & South Cheshire JEA; the North West Midlands JEA; and the West Midlands JEA.

West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority
The West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority was formally established on 21 December 1925 by the West Midlands Electricity District Order 1925 made under section 7 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919. The district covered an area of about 1,000 square miles, including most of Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The JEA included representatives of the Midland Electricity Corporation; Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, Cannock and Shrewsbury councils; colliery owners; railway companies; and electricity industry workers. In June 1927 the West Midlands JEA offered for sale £2 million of stock on the stock market, which was used to purchase the generating stations and transmission lines in the district. In late 1927 the West Midlands JEA acquired four power stations: Ocker Hill formerly operated by the Midland Electric Corporation for Power Distribution; the 30 MW Wolverhampton power station; the 28 MW Walsall Birchills power station; and the 6.65 MW West Bromwich station. The JEA built the 200 MW Ironbridge A power station (commissioned 1932). However, there was local opposition to the proposal for Ironbrige, landowners in Buildwas opposed the compulsory purchase of land. A local inquiry was held where changes to the area were put forward. Further objections resulted in another local inquiry. Formal consent was only granted in August 1928. The JEA's stations were linked through a transmission system operating at 33 kV. On 1 October 1938 the JEA took over Shrewsbury power station from the local authority. The interconnected power stations enabled the JEA to reduce the wholesale price of electricity by one-third between 1930 and 1936.

Operating statistics
The electricity sold by the generating stations and purchased by the WMJEA was as shown. In 1937 the key engineering and financial statistics for the WMJEA was as follows.

The capacity and output of the individual stations of the WMJEA in 1937 was as shown. The output of the individual WMJEA power stations over time was as shown. The West Midlands JEA's principal office was at Phoenix Buildings, Dudley Road, Wolverhampton.

The West Midlands JEA was considered to have been successful. It took over the operation of power stations in its area and built a large-scale station at Ironbridge all of which were interconnected with high voltage transmission lines.

In the year ending 31 December 1947, the last full year of its operation, the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority generated 977,571 MWh, purchased 1,045,019 MWh and sold 1025163 MWh with a value of £2,841,390 to 26,058 consumers. The gross operating surplus was £484,607.

Abolition
The West Midlands JEA was abolished on 31 March 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalised British electricity supply industry. The WMJEA’s assets were split between the British Electricity Authority (generation and transmission) and the Midlands Electricity Board (distribution).