Community Update: Power station decommissioning – August 2, 2018

As part of Alcoa of Australia’s decommissioning of the Anglesea power station and mine, the main power station building was scheduled to be felled using controlled explosives on 30 May. The demolition activity, which was safely executed, did not result in the complete collapse of the structure.

In line with last week’s Alcoa Community Update (Surf Coast Times, 26 July), Alcoa is continuing to work with the principal contractor to assess the remaining power station structure and plan for its demolition.

Analysis to determine why the structure only partially collapsed is progressing. Preliminary findings indicate several potential contributing factors. This work is being reviewed by independent industry experts and is expected to be completed soon.

Crucially, this analysis will inform how the remaining structure will be demolished. Given this work is ongoing, further demolition activity has not been scheduled.

Alcoa remains committed to ensuring the continued safety of onsite personnel and the community.

The structure’s stability continues to be closely monitored. Instrumentation and engineering assessments continue to confirm there has been no movement in the structure. A third engineering study has provided an independent review of the previous assessments and also concluded that the structure is stable.

Air monitoring remains in place; there have been no airborne asbestos fibres detected. As stated previously, the demolition occurred following a twelve-month asbestos removal program, a process regulated by Worksafe Victoria.

The safety exclusion zone also remains in place and is monitored by security officers and video surveillance 24 hours per day.

Worksafe Victoria and EPA Victoria continue to be closely informed about activities at the site and both agencies have issued public statements about the demolition activity.

Alcoa is committed to keeping the community informed about the future demolition methodology and timeline through ongoing communication including weekly community updates published in the Surf Coast Times, bi-monthly Alcoa Community Consultation Network (CCN) meetings and other relevant channels.

To read more about Alcoa’s community engagement activities please visit www.alcoa.com.au/anglesea.

To receive email updates from Alcoa please email [email protected].