Geelong Power Station

The first moves to provide an electricity supply to Geelong were made in 1898, with three separate companies vying for the right to operate in the city.

Geelong B remained for a few more years, being used for peak loads only, but closed in 1970 due to the much higher efficiency of new power stations in Victoria's Latrobe Valley.

[1] It was erected by the Electric Lighting and Traction Company of Australia, with the foundation stone laid in March 1900.

On 4 June 1900, the first power pole was erected in Geelong, on the corner of McKillop and Yarra Streets, opposite the Jewish Synagogue.

In 1920, the original equipment was scrapped, and a three-phase 6000 volt, 50 cycle system was installed, having a total generating capacity of 10,500 kilowatts (10.5 MW).

The station was converted to burn brown coal briquettes in 1931, with the stokers to the boiler replaced by locally produced ones of overfeed design.

Geelong B was a "packaged" station, using components imported from the United States of America, and was erected under contract for the SECV.

The contract included the supply and erection of buildings, boilers, generators, transformers, switchgear and coal handling equipment, and putting the station into service.

A third change in fuel supplied occurred soon after, with the boilers being converted to use briquettes brought to Geelong by rail from Yallourn.