Hazelwood Power Station chimneys demolished
This is the spectacular moment eight huge chimneys at the shuttered Hazelwood Power Station today crashed to the ground, disappearing in a huge cloud of dust.
VIC News
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The eight 137m chimneys in the defunct Hazelwood Power Station came crashing down on Monday afternoon in a controlled demolition.
A big cloud of white dust shot over the remains of the chimneys after they toppled largely intact until they crashed into the ground.
The long-planned demolition occurred has been delayed from its original time of 11am, as large crowds watch from a safe distance and via livestreams.
Latrobe City Council Mayor Dan Clancey said the stacks had “represented something”.
“They represent a lot of things to many people. Hundreds and thousands of people have gone through there as a workplace, so for many families it is seen as an iconic employer and powered the state for many years — so for many it is very significant to see it come down.”
People he had spoken to had a range of emotions.
“Some saying ‘that’s really good we are moving forward now’ and others who were sad to see what was a large part of this community for so many years demolished in front of their eyes.”
It was a “day to remember”.
“I caught it accidentally … When I went over a hill I thought ‘they’re still standing’ and as I came down the hill I looked and they were gone.”
The chimneys fell one by one, about four seconds apart just before 12.30pm.
Site owner Engie assured locals that asbestos inside its chimneys was not a threat.
Engie unveiled its demolition plan to the Latrobe Valley community earlier this month.. Demolition manager Tom McDowall said that after a thorough risk assessment process, the company had decided that “controlled collapse”, or detonation, was the safest option.
There is about 50kg of asbestos in each chimney and about 12 tonnes of concrete.
Mr McDowall said the detonations would not fragment the asbestos and that it would stay contained upon demolition.
“It’s a bonded product, it’s not a fragmentation product, it’s secure within its structure,” he said.
“It then hits the ground and becomes an asbestos product on the ground.” Mr McDowall said great care would be taken to conduct the demolition in prime weather conditions - a southeast to northeast direction with low wind speed - to control dust and plume from the explosions.
Thousands were glued to a livestream set up by power station owner Engie and many sat in cars outside the 500m exclusion zone to watch the chimneys fall.
The chimneys were built in the 1960s and operated for more than 50 years until March 2017 when the brown coal-fuelled power station was shut down.
The site will be monitored for asbestos following the demolition in line with state laws.
The site has been a headache for the Latrobe Valley community since 2014, when a bushfire spread to the coal mine and burned for 45 days.
Hazelwood Power Corporation was fined $1.56 million on Tuesday in the Supreme Court of Victoria for putting employees and nearby residents at risk by failing to prepare for the fire.
BOOM! 💥 After 55 years on the skyline near Morwell, the eight 137m chimneys at the former Hazelwood Power Station are gone after demolition this morning. pic.twitter.com/IC5xm641p0
— Paul Dowsley (@pauldowsley7) May 25, 2020