75 Years of CPCL!

This year marks a monumental milestone for Cathodic Protection Co. Ltd as we celebrate our 75^th Anniversary! Our journey began in the hands of Van De Velde, who founded our company on 7^th February, 1950. We are grateful to our early team members, clients, and suppliers who believed in our mission and helped lay a strong foundation for CPCL. Their dedication and hard work were instrumental in shaping our future.

To commemorate the past 75 years, we are going to reminisce on CPCL's journey through each decade.

1960's

Whilst the UK was embracing a cultural revolution of 'the swinging sixties', CPCL were working on one of our larger projects during this period, the historic Shotton Steelworks.

Shotton Steelworks, located in the Deeside industrial conurbation of Chester and Flintshire, has a rich history dating back to 1895 when Harry and James Summers, along with their brothers, purchased 40 acres of Dee marshland to start producing galvanized steel sheeting. This initiative was a major employer for the surrounding area, employing around 3,000 workers by the early 1900s. The factory continued to grow, and by the 1950s, the workforce had risen to 10,000. In 1967, Shotton Steelworks was nationalised, becoming part of the British Steel Corporation. CPCL played a small but important part in the history of the steelworks. Our founder would hand-deliver aluminium impressed current anodes to the site and take the client out for dinner, while our hardworking technicians stayed behind to install the anodes into the condenser boxes.

1970's

Early in the decade, the UK government enforced a three-day working week in order to conserve electricity due to constant power outages caused by the miner strikes. However, CPCL was exempt from this restriction and continued to work diligently on two major oil projects in the North Sea.

In 1970, 110 miles northeast of Aberdeen, commercially viable oil was discovered by British Petroleum. Four years later, CPCL provided antifouling systems for this oil field, known as The Forties. This large-scale project required extensive maintenance, and CPCL played a crucial role in protecting the structures.

In 1975, CPCL secured the Ekofisk pipeline contract with Phillips Petroleum Company (now ConocoPhillips), We installed cathodic protection for the onshore section of the pipeline, which transports oil from the Norwegian sector of the North Sea to the UK. This project also included protecting the bases of the tank farm located in Teesside, which comprises nine storage tanks, each with a capacity of 750,000 barrels.

The same year the iconic musical film Grease was released, 1978, CPCL’s expertise extended to Ireland with the installation of cathodic protection at the Aughinish Alumina Island Jetty in County Limerick. This project ensured the longevity and safety of this critical infrastructure.

As you can see, the oil industry was a thriving sector for CPCL in the 70’s! It’s great to see how far our relationships have come with these projects and we’re excited to see their future developments with renewable resources.

Check out the exterior of our building on Belton Lane, Grantham in the 70s below.

Stay tuned for more decade by decade posts to come!