Home   Medway   News   Article

Estuary skyline changes forever as E.ON continues demolition work at Kingsnorth Power Station

Part of a mothballed power station have been knocked down as work continues to demolish the landmark.

Kingsnorth Power Station closed in March last year because it did not meet EU standards on pollution. The whole structure is set to be demolished and work began on site earlier this year.

This week, a key part of the plant has been knocked down - in dramatic fashion!

Scroll down for video

The explosion starts at Kingsnorth power station
The explosion starts at Kingsnorth power station
The building starts to come down with an almighty crash
The building starts to come down with an almighty crash
Debris is seen flying from the building at Kingsnorth
Debris is seen flying from the building at Kingsnorth
The tall building at Kingsnorth is finally reduced to rubble
The tall building at Kingsnorth is finally reduced to rubble

Five small buildings and structures, which were part of the system to move coal from the stockpile towards the heart of the station, were demolished last night.

The tallest of the buildings is around 41m. The main infrastructure of the plant, including the 650ft chimney stack, is still to be demolished over the next two years and the plant’s owner’s E.ON will be updating local residents on the next stages.

The demolition process began on the 2000MW coal-fired power station in April 2014.

Since then, E.ON and its primary contractor, Brown and Mason, have been preparing the site for the ongoing demolition work and have already removed some of the smaller structures, including the fuel oil tanks and all of the coal conveyor systems, through non-explosive methods.

Kingsnorth power station
Kingsnorth power station

Like many other power stations around the country, the EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) required Kingsnorth to close after generating for 20,000 hours from January, 1, 2008 or before the end of 2015, whichever came first.

The dual-fired coal and oil station was closed in March 2013 after completing its 20,000 hours generation under the LCPD.

Video: The buildings crash to the ground after the explosion

In 2007 the chimney made national headlines when Greenpeace activists scaled it in a protest over coal-fired power.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More