Richmond Power Station was a coal fired power station which operated on the banks of the Yarra River in Richmond, Victoria, Australia from its construction in 1891 until its closure in 1976. It was one of the first alternating current (AC) electricity generation plants in the state. It has since been converted into office space and is the headquarters of international fashion brand Country Road and advertising agency CHE Proximity. The area in which it is located is now called Cremorne. The former power station is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. History The Richmond Power Station was completed in 1891 by the New Australian Lighting and Traction Company. It was one of the first alternating current (AC) electricity generation plants in Victoria. The building was designed by Charles D'Ebro, one of Melbourne's premier architects of the time. Initially the station provided power to Melbourne and the suburbs of Richmond, Prahran and South Melbourne. The main competitor was A.U. Alcock's Electric Light and Motive Power Company. Early equipment was a 750 kW Elwell-Parker alternator. Power was supplied at 2 kV and 97 Hz. The set was driven by a Robey compound steam engine rated at . In 1899, the two companies were taken over by Brush Electrical and were combined to form the Electric Lighting and Traction Company of Australia. In 1901, two Brush-Universal 500 kW sets were added. As demand increased, the plant went through a series of upgrades, the first being an expansion to the engine house. In 1905, the first of two Parsons-Brush 1 MW single-phase turbo-alternators, with a terminal voltage of 4.2 kV, were added. A Curtis-Thompson 1.5 MW turbo alternator was bought in 1907. The company's name was changed in 1908 to The Melbourne Electric Supply Company Limited. In 1910, two Belliss and Morcom high-speed triple-expansion engines, coupled to Brush alternators, were added. Another four turbo alternators were installed from 1911 onwards, with the engine room extended to the east to accommodate the 10MW increase in power output. Also, several Babcock & Wilcox boilers were added in 1912, and a new chimney stack was built in 1913. In 1919, a second chimney stack was erected, and in 1922, a second floor was added to the office block. By 1924, installed capacity had increased to 17 MW. In 1929, the station was taken over by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, which relegated Richmond to a