Safety was the top priority during the demolition. Our experts carried out various pre-weakening measures on the structure in advance in accordance with the execution planning, which determined the direction in which the tower would fall. At the same time, Thüringer Spreng GmbH (TSG) drilled around 1,000 boreholes in the drilling tower and fitted them with explosive charges.
For safety reasons, the area around the cooling tower was evacuated for several hours and neighbouring roads were closed to traffic. Residents and onlookers gathered at several points outside the exclusion zone in good time before the announced blasting date to witness the blasting.
At 11 a.m., an expert from TSG detonated the explosives, causing the structure to collapse in a planned and controlled manner. An important step for the overall project.
The end of the cooling tower does not mark the end of energy generation in Voerde for the town of Voerde. On the contrary: with the dismantling, RWE is creating space for new plants that will contribute to the success of the energy transition.
