[1] Although originally intended to be built in 1913, its construction was delayed because of the First World War, and it was formally opened by King George V 10 years later.

[2][3] Its electricity was used to power Edinburgh and the surrounding region while waste heat warmed the water of Portobello Open Air Pool.

[1] In 1938 the design of the station was extended by Edinburgh architect Ebenezer James MacRae; its six individual chimneys were replaced with a single 365 feet tall stack,[4] which weighed 10,000 tons, was made up of 710,000 bricks[5] and cost in the region of £118,000 to build.

The explosion, which could be heard a mile away, was caused by sea spray collecting on high-voltage insulators in the main-grid substation.

[10] The Portobello coat-of-arms on the power station was rescued during demolition and it was planned to incorporate it into a new sports centre to be built in the area.