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Controlled explosion at Kingsnorth Power Station coal bunker

A coal bunker was the next building to be blown up the former Kingsnorth Power Station today.

A controlled explosion to destroy a building which once housed the coal bunkers and mills which were used to grind down and prepare coal for the furnace, was blown up this morning.

Grinding coal prior to burning was a method used at the defunct coal-fired plant, in Hoo, and Uniper UK, formerly E.ON, demolished the bunker bay at 10.30am.

VIDEO: Watch the coal bunker come down!

Neil Riley, head of demolition, said: “We’ve now reached the fifth demolition event at Kingsnorth with three more controlled detonations before we focus our attention on the 198m chimney.

“This building is only 40m high in comparison, but it’s still a significant structure with 5,000 tonnes of steelwork due to be brought to the ground.”

The explosion left a dust cloud. Picture: Nicky Thomas.
The explosion left a dust cloud. Picture: Nicky Thomas.

Last year a 35-metre turbine hall, which housed a boiler and four turbo-generators, was razed to the ground.

Many of the station’s smaller buildings have already been removed.

The turbine hall was blown up last year
The turbine hall was blown up last year

The demolition was the largest to date at Kingsnorth, with the turbine hall encompassing more than 2,000 tonnes of steel.

The power station, which was originally commissioned in 1970, closed in 2013 after it was deemed too polluting under EU law.

The rest of the plant, including the 198m chimney, is due to be demolished by the end of this year.

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