Published the 30/10/2025
On the banks of the Tyne, innovation has always powered progress. Over a century ago, the Neptune Bank Power Station in Wallsend made history as the first power station in the UK to supply electricity to industry. Until that point, power generation had focused mainly on lighting. But then Neptune Bank changed that, paving the way for the electrification of British manufacturing.
Opened in 1901 by the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Company, it was the first in the country to generate three-phase electricity – a groundbreaking step that revolutionised power distribution. Designed by the celebrated engineer Charles Merz of Merz & McLellan, it was formally inaugurated by Lord Kelvin, one of the most prominent scientists of the age.
At its opening, the plant boasted 5,000 horsepower of installed capacity, with cutting-edge water-tube boilers and triple-expansion engines built locally. The innovation didn’t stop there: Neptune Bank soon introduced turbine alternators marking the beginning of modern turbine-driven power generation.
A historical report notes that electricity from Neptune Bank was being used “under widely different conditions, and to all kinds of machine tools,” replacing wasteful steam lines and belts with efficient electric motors. The Tyneside yards and factories it powered, including shipbuilders, forges, and marine engineering works, were at the heart of Britain’s industrial strength.
Operated by the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Company, the station symbolised the North East’s early leadership in industrial innovation. In a 1912 advert (see image), the company promoted the region’s advantages for factory sites – cheap power, attractive locations, and strong transport links. Reading it today, the message feels strikingly familiar. Replace the word coal with hydrogen, and it could easily be a statement from the North East Combined Authority or today’s clean energy sector.
Now, the story comes full circle. On the very same site in Wallsend, Lhyfe is developing a new project to supply green hydrogen to decarbonise heavy industry and transport across the region. Just as Neptune Bank once helped power the first industrial revolution, green hydrogen will help drive the next, ushering in a cleaner, more sustainable energy era for the North East.