Demolition of the Connah's Quay coal-fired power station

摘要

As well as designing, building and operating major infrastructure projects, civil engineers also need to know how to remove them cleanly and safely at the end of their useful life. Built between 1950 and 1958, the 180 MW Connah's Quay coal-fired power station on the mouth of the River Dee in North Wales was closed in 1984 and demolition started in 1992. Demolition involved extensive asbestos removal, toppling massive steel structures and explosive felling of cooling towers and chimneys — all within close proximity to houses, a railway and power lines. This paper explains how extensive preplanning, use of expert contractors, careful control of waste materials and effective prevention of pollution and nuisance resulted in a successfully reclaimed site with minimal local disturbance.