The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

 

Bradwell's skyline is set to dramatically change with the systematic demolition of the main turbine hall at Bradwell Power Station - the site's largest single building.

The building, originally constructed in the 1950s, is being stripped of its metal sheeting, revealing the main structure of the building which is then demolished using high reach excavators.

The demolition marks a significant milestone towards reaching Care and Maintenance on the site, which will see it placed into passive storage in 2015.

The hall used to house the power station's nine turbines which were used for electricity production until March 2002. It is the size of a football pitch and stands as tall as three houses.

The joint project between Magnox and specialist contractor Erith has involved 100,000 man hours of work, recycled over 6000 tonnes of metal and safely removed over 100 tonnes of asbestos.

Graham Cotton, Magnox Project Manager, said:

"Erith and Magnox, have worked extremely hard to get to this current position, it is a testament to each and every one of the teams commitment that we have reached this key stage and we are confident that we will complete the works as per our schedule."

Brian Burnett, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Head of Programme, Magnox, said:

"Accelerating Care and Maintenance, whilst challenging, is an important element of delivering improved value for money. The demolition of the turbine hall at Bradwell is a significant decommissioning milestone and I congratulate Magnox and the team at Bradwell for achieving it more than two months ahead of schedule."

After a year's worth of work the main demolition will be completed by mid-September with the project coming to a close, on schedule, in November.