ADVERTISEMENTA 237-metre power station chimney is no longer Scotland’s tallest freestanding structure after being reduced to rubble.
The chimney at Inverkip Power Station in Inverclyde, which was almost as high as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, was brought down by half a tonne of explosives at 10pm on Sunday.
More than 1.4m bricks encased in 20,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete were demolished by two controlled blasts, the first from the 10th floor, 90 metres up, followed closely by another at ground level.
Hundreds of boats were reported to have been in the Firth of Clyde from which people watched the demolition.
Dylan Hughes, from ScottishPower, said: “The demolition team have been working towards this day for two years, and it was fantastic to see all of our detailed preparations and calculations culminate in such a dramatic event. Comprehensive planning and consultation ensured the event could be managed safely.
“There has never been an explosive demolition of a structure this size in Scotland before, so it is quite a feat to achieve a demolition on this scale.”
The demolition was overseen by ScottishPower’s principal contractor Brown & Mason who will remain on site until the end of the year to complete the demolition.
Inverclyde Council is considering an application to redevelop the site for housing, a ScottishPower spokesman said.
Inverkip Power Station never operated as intended. Construction of the station capable of producing a capacity of 2028 MW began in 1970 but due to the high cost of oil was only commercially used in 1984/5 due to coal shortages.
It was kept as a strategic reserve until the late 1990s when the plant was mothballed.
Scotland’s tallest freestanding structure is now the chimney at Longannet Power Station which is 600ft tall.
Pushing the button was Sally Foster, who donated more than £500 to ScottishPower’s principal charity partner.