to install its own electricity power plant. The CEB reduced its prices to the Lincoln electricity undertaking to prevent this loss of demand which would have been about half of the Lincoln undertaking's load. The electricity plant continued in operation until it was shutdown in October 1953, when the new St. Swithins power station was able to support the required load. St. Swithins power station, 1947–77 A new Lincoln power station, also called St. Swithins power station, was constructed on the Spa Road site in the post-war period. This was commissioned by Lincoln City Council, but was a controversial addition to the city. There were objections to the four reinforced concrete cooling towers which were as high as the hill on which the cathedral stands and which would spoil the view of the cathedral from the south. Following a public inquiry the developers, Lincoln City Council, agreed to reduce the height of towers to less than – and the chimneys from . Consent to build the power station was granted in October 1944. Even after approval alternative schemes were proposed: one suggested pumping water from the River Trent at Torksey into the Fossdyke Navigation from where it would flow to the River Witham at Lincoln. It was claimed this would provide sufficient water for cooling without the need for cooling towers. The first 20 MW generating set of the new station was commissioned in December 1947. Following nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948 the ownership of Lincoln's power station were transferred to the British Electricity Authority (BEA) (1948–55) then to the Central Electricity Authority (1955–57), and finally the Central Electricity Generating Board (1958–77). Responsibility for the distribution and sales of electricity was transferred to the East Midlands Electricity Board. Under the BEA a further 20 MW set were commissioned in April 1949. At this stage only half of the new station was built, including a single chimney. The rest of the station and the second chimney and further cooling towers were built in the mid-1950s. The third and fourth generating sets were commissioned in March 1957 and November 1957. The plant at the completed station in 1958 comprised: 4 × Babcock & Wilcox 120,000 lb/hr, 425 psi, 825 °F boilers (15.12 kg/s, 29.3 bar, 441 °C) 4 × Richardsons-Westgarth 120,000 lb/hr, 425 psi, 825 °F boilers (15.12 kg/s, 29.3 bar, 441 °C) 4 × Brush-Ljungstrom 20 MW