The Numbers Behind One of The UK’s Biggest Demolition Programmes

No fewer than 38 structures have been razed to the ground in one of the UK’s biggest demolition programmes.

Teams have used 3,300kg of explosives to bring down dozens of former steelworks site over the past two years.

It’s a programme which has seen hundreds of workers from the North East hard at work – in a project completed in just two years when the original plan envisaged it would take five.

The programme has seen the following structures demolished:

• The Pulverised Coal Injection Plant and Conveyors with 65kg of explosives
• Redcar Coke Ovens Battery Bunkers, Conveyors, Junction Houses and Chimneys with 50kg
• The Sinter Plant and Chimney with 450kg of explosives
• The 70m tall Basic Oxygen Supply Plant – one of the largest demolitions in UK history – with 1,600kg of explosives.
• Redcar Blast Furnace demolition and its four stoves with 175kg of explosives
• Redcar Raw Materials Handling – Junction Houses and Conveyors – with 60kg of explosives.
• Redcar Stock houses, Conveyors and Junction Houses and Conveyors – 125kg of explosives.

• South Bank Coke Ovens Battery Bunkers, Dorman Long Tower, Junction Houses and Conveyors – 450kg of explosives.
• South Bank Coke Ovens By-Products – Gas Holder 45kg of explosives.
• Redcar Coke Ovens By-Products – Screen House, Gas Holder and Ammonia Stack with 60kg of explosives.
• Redcar Power Station – Gas Holder, Triple Flare Stack, De-aerator Bay, Chimney – to be demolished on 29 June 2023 with 120kg of explosives.

Thursday (29 June) will mark the final explosive demolition – with the former Redcar Power Station, chimney stack, triple flare stack and gas holder brought down.

The Redcar Power Station provided electricity to the Steelworks at Redcar. It was fuelled from by-products of the iron making process in the Blast Furnace.

Its primary function was to provide cold blast air for the blast furnace. Excess gas which came from the coke ovens and the blast furnace was used in the boiler heating process to generate more electricity.

Four blasts will bring the facilities down in a matter of seconds at around 1pm. The demolition will be visible from Redcar beach.

Martin Corney, Teesworks CEO, said: “This demolition programme has been a true team effort from start to finish. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but Thursday will mark a significant milestone in bringing the explosive programme to a close.

“We’ve come a long way – the programme has taken two years when the original masterplan said it would take at least five. This has saved the taxpayer millions of pounds.

“It has also opened the door to us pumping millions of pounds into the remediation of hundreds of acres of land at no cost extra cost to the taxpayer.

“It will all go towards bringing important job creation through new green energy projects and generating yet more interest in this unique site.

“This is only the start.”