Deep underground excavation and explosive procedures carried out at the Kiel Coal Power Plant for nuclear operations
In a significant step towards environmental sustainability, the Kiel power plant was gradually dismantled between October 2021 and September 2024. The coal-fired power plant, jointly operated by Uniper and the Kiel municipal utilities, had provided electricity and district heating to over 60,000 households before its shutdown in 2019.
The dismantling process began with the drilling of core holes. In the first phase, 60 holes with a diameter of 40 mm and a depth of two meters were drilled in the boiler house's foundations. The second phase saw the drilling of 70 core holes, up to 1.5 meters deep, in the chimney's reinforced concrete. A total of almost 200 meters of drilling progress was achieved.
The drilling process proved challenging, especially in the chimney. The large attack surface for wind after severing the reinforcement posed a risk of uncontrollable toppling for the chimney of the Flumenthal power plant. However, the companies involved, including KBT and Erger, successfully delivered the services required by the client.
The Hilti DD250 and 350 were used for core drilling, while the Hilti DST-20 CA was employed for cutting reinforcement. Additionally, Hilti secured climbing routes at Verzasca for safety measures.
The demolition blasting of the power plant was carried out by the company Keller Grundbau GmbH, and Alpiq Hydro undertook underwater demolition at Flumenthal power plant. The site management was in constant contact with the German weather service to predict the wind strength of the next few hours.
Knodel, the regional manager North in the specialist association for concrete drilling and sawing, concluded that it was a challenging project with a tight time frame. There was a time pressure to meet the deadline for the explosion.
The power plant was replaced by a gas engine power plant, marking a shift towards cleaner energy sources. Despite the challenges, the dismantling project was successfully completed, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
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