Explosives to Demolish Reactor
Posted: 5th December 2024
Nearly 700kg of explosives have been used to help speed up the demolition process of the former Sizewell A turbine hall. The twin reactors at Sizewell A were shut down on at the end of 2006 after 40 years of electricity generation and planning permission granted to demolish the turbine hall and electrical annexe. The explosion, carried out by Precision Demolition Company Ltd, is the biggest ever on a licensed UK nuclear site. A series of test blasts were undertaken as well and the detonator timing sequence was designed to meet nuclear site requirements for air overpressure and ground vibration.
East Anglian Daily Times 4th Dec 2024
NRS 4th Dec 2024
Sizewell A – Demolition
More than 1200 holes were drilled and 700 kilogrammes of explosive used for the demolition of large concrete plinths in the turbine hall of Sizewell A nuclear power plant in the UK. Nuclear Restoration Services said it was the largest use of explosives on a nuclear site for conventional demolition purposes in decades. After the holes were drilled into the plinths, the charges were set and covered for the detonation, which was all planned and carried out with Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) oversight. The ONR said that following the blasts, the huge turbine supporting concrete bases can be removed using heavy machinery within two weeks, rather than “deploying older and slower methods of drilling the structure apart which would have taken several months”. Sizewell A’s twin reactors shut down in 2006 after 40 years of operation. Planning consent was given to demolish the turbine hall and electrical annexe in August and more than 35 miles of cabling and 8000 scaffolding boards, clips and pipes have been taken out.
World Nuclear News 6th Dec 2024