Alcoa tries again to demolish power station

BY THE time you read this, Alcoa’s Anglesea power station will hopefully be no more than a pile of rubble.

At time of publication, the second attempt to bring down the structure with the controlled detonation of explosives was scheduled to take place between noon and 4pm yesterday (Wednesday October 3), subject to favourable weather conditions.

This week’s efforts follow the first, unsuccessful attempt on May 30, which only partially demolished the power station.

The demolition was originally scheduled for between yesterday afternoon and this morning, so if conditions proved to be unsuitable yesterday, it may happen today (Thursday October 4) between 9am and noon.

Alcoa says the demolition timing will be subject to final safety and technical checks, and the activity will only occur if the wind direction is away from the Anglesea township.

The company says the demolition may be audible in Anglesea for about 10 seconds “and is expected to sound like claps of thunder”, and may generate localised dust that is visible for a short period and will move away from the town.

On Tuesday, Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) issued an approval for short-term dust and noise emissions to be generated during the demolition.

According to the conditions of the approval, Alcoa must conduct dust monitoring south of the power station in the residential area and release the results on the same day of the implosion.

Asbestos monitoring must also be undertaken at locations around the perimeter of the exclusion zone, an EPA officer will observe the implosion to ensure all the requirements of the approval are met, and Alcoa will be required to apply large amounts of water to the work site to minimise dust emissions.

On Tuesday, WorkSafe stated it had consulted extensively with Alcoa and its demolition contractors on the proposed method of demolition, as well as the plans to manage explosives and any asbestos at the site, to ensure the requirements of Victoria’s Dangerous Goods Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act were met.

For the latest updates on the demolition, head to surfcoasttimes.com.au.