Built in the 1960s, the eight chimneys of the Hazelwood coal-fired power station have been knocked down as part of the plant's demolition.
Key points:
- Hazelwood Power Station's owner demolishes the site's eight chimneys
- The first power generation unit at Hazelwood started operating in 1964, with seven more built over the next seven years
- Heritage Victoria found the station did not meet the criteria required for cultural heritage recognition in 2018
The plant's owner, Engie, confirmed the weather conditions were appropriate, and at 12:27pm the first of the eight chimneys started to crumble.
The station was shut down in March 2017 after more than half a century of operation.
The station is a landmark of sorts in the town of Morwell, most recognised by the eight chimney stacks that soar 137 metres into the sky.
Engie said the demolition was vital because the plant contained a "significant amount of asbestos" and could not be left to deteriorate.
The demolition project manager Tom McDowall said the company was keeping the community informed about the progress of the demolition works, including providing a live stream of the chimney demolition.
"We know the Hazelwood chimneys have long been a significant part of the Latrobe Valley skyline and a symbol of the contribution Hazelwood has made to the local and state economy over a long period of time," Mr McDowall said.
Engie says no risk of airborne asbestos
Engie head of corporate affairs in Australia and New Zealand Ryan Auger said the company had spent 10–12 months preparing for today.
"It's a really big day, and a very exciting day for the community and the rehabilitation itself," Mr Auger said.
"It's going to mean different things for different people.
"For some people this event represents change and renewal — for others it's the end for the era. For the project team, it's the culmination of an enormous amount of pre-work and preparation.
"We've got timed depth chargers at the base of every chimney, which is essentially about a 30-storey building each.
"They'll detonate 4.6 seconds in sequence and ultimately what we'll be able to see is the chimneys falling on top of themselves to minimise the dust plume itself."
Mr Auger said today's south-easterly tending wind, at less than 10 kilometres per hour was ideal for the collapse.
"There will be some airborne dust, but we've modelled it well, and we have two separate water suppression systems including essentially a 37-metre high curtain of water that will bond to the dust and help keep it in the mine void.
Mr Auger said there was 'bonded asbestos' in the base of the chimneys, but it was far enough from the detonation site, not to become airborne.
"There is absolutely no risk that asbestos will be anywhere other than on the ground, and ultimately remediated on site and stored in an approved cell."
Push for heritage listing unsuccessful
The chimneys can be seen from throughout the Latrobe Valley, including from the main street in Morwell.
The first power generation unit at Hazelwood started operating in 1964, with seven more built over the next seven years.
Previously, Museums Victoria declared an interest in acquiring parts of the Hazelwood power station.
A Latrobe Valley resident's push for the Heritage Council of Victoria to consider nominating Hazelwood Power Station for heritage protection lacked support.
In 2018, Heritage Victoria found it did not meet the criteria required for recognition of cultural heritage significance at a state level and did not qualify for the Victorian Heritage Register.
All major Hazelwood demolition work is expected to be finished by 2022.
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2020-05-25 04:10:18Z
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