Atlantic City Plant

This appears to be a photo taken during the construction of the Missouri Avenue Plant of Atlantic City (New Jersey) Electric Company. The plant went into service in 1911 and supplied both electricity and hot water to Atlantic City. Two sources say the initial capacity of the plant was 8-MW, consisting of one unit at 4-MW and two at 2-MW each. An article in the April 6, 1912 issue of “ELECTRICAL WORLD” gives details of the plant, including photos and cross-section elevation and plan view drawings. Those units were retired in the mid to late1920s.

Other units were added over the years as the plant was expanded. By 1930 its capacity was 57-MW. In 1946 Unit 7 was added–a 30-MW unit that made engineering history for being the first to operate with steam at 1000 F. The steam pressure was 1,350 psi. That unit had a Foster Wheeler boiler and a General Electric turbine-generator. A technical paper published by the company has a detailed description of Unit 7.

Atlantic City Electric Co. was part of AEP (then known as American Gas & Electric- AG&E). The company was acquired by AEP in late 1907 but in 1949 AEP divested itself of Atlantic City Electric by order of the SEC.

Dick Pawliger (AEP Employee 1959-1999_