Foreword

G. A. W. Blackman, CBE, FEng

Chairman, Central Electricity Generating Board
and Chairman, British Electricity International Ltd

FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, since its formation in 1958, the Central Electricity Generating Board
(CEGB) has been at the forefront of technological advances in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of power plant and transmission systems. During this time capacity
increased almost fivefold, involving the introduction of thermal and nuclear generating units
of 500 MW and 660 MW, to supply one of the largest integrated power systems in the world.
In fulfilling its statutory responsibility to ensure continuity of a safe and economic supply of
electricity the CEGB built up a powerful engineering and scientific capability, and accumulated
a wealth of experience in the operation and maintenance of power plant and systems. With
the privatisation of the CEGB this experience and capability is being carried forward by its
four successor companies National Power, PowerGen, Nuclear Electric and National Grid.
At the heart of the CEGB's success has been an awareness of the need to sustain and improve
the skills and knowledge of its engineering and technical staff. This was achieved through
formal and on-job training, aided by a series of textbooks covering the theory and practice
for the whole range of technology to be found on a modern power station. A second edition
of the series, known as Modern Power Station Practice, was produced in the early 1970s,
and it was sold throughout the world to provide electricity undertakings, engineers and
students with an account of the CEGB's practices and hard-won experience. The edition had
substantial worldwide sales and achieved recognition as the authoritative reference work on
power generation.
A completely revised and enlarged (third) edition has now been produced which updates
the relevant information in the earlier edition together with a comprehensive account of the
solutions to the many engineering and environmental challenges encountered, and which puts
on record the achievements of the CEGB during its lifetime as one of the world's leading
public electricity utilities.
In producing this third edition, the opportunity has been taken to restructure the information
in the original eight volumes to provide a more logical and detailed exposition of the technical
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content. The series has also been extended to include three new volumes on Station Com4
missioning', EHV Transmission' and 'System Operation'. Each of the eleven subject volumes
had an Advisory Editor for the technical validation of the many contributions by individual
authors, all of whom are recognised as authorities in their particular field of technology.
All subject volumes carry their own index and a twelfth volume provides a consolidated
index for the series overall. Particular attention has been paid to the production of draft material;
with text refined through a number of technical and language editorial stages and complemented
by a large number of high quality illustrations. The result is a high standard of presentation
designed to appeal to a wide international readerships.
It is with much pleasure therefore that I introduce this new series, which has been attributed
to British Electricity International on behalf of the CEGB and its successor companies. I have
been closely associated with its production and have no doubt that it will be invaluable to
engineers worldwide who are engaged in the design, construction, commissioning, operation
and maintenance of modern power stations and systems.

March

1990

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