Dismantling of Andorra power plant now 94% complete

The controlled blasting of the Andorra (Teruel) Power Plant in Spain. (PHOTO: Endesa)

Owned by electricity giant Endesa and more commonly known as the Andorra Power Plant, the recent blasting at the Teruel Thermal Power Plant signals that the decommissioning phase its now nearing its end, with 94% of the works complete.

According to Endesa, the controlled implosion of the last of the coal-fired plant’s slender structures, which measured 70 m high, involved the use of 340 detonators and 620kg of explosives.

“The use of explosives is the safest procedure,” said Endesa. “Once the boiler had been demolished, heavy machines were used to cut and prepare the materials for transport. This avoided workers having to operate workers at heights and maximised the safety of the process.”

Commenting on the demolition of all three of the site’s boiler units, Endesa said: “The process was complex as it involved metal elements whose analysis, study and execution process were different compared to the demolition of concrete structures.

“The demolishing followed a prior specific project in which the impact of the preparatory work was structurally analysed, as well as the dynamics of the blast, its consequences, the direction of the fall, mitigation measures for the impacts, as well as vibration and safety measures for all the affected elements and structures.”

In operation for over four decades, the 1,100 MW plant was built between 1964 and 1979 and comprised three reactor units, each with their own boiler, turbo alternator and cooling tower.

The Teurel site, which was closed in 2019, also housed a coal and limestone deposit, an ash and slag evacuation system, a desulphurisation plant and a 343-m high chimney for the evacuation of combustion gases.

Costing a total of roughly €60 million (US$61.2 million), works to selectively dismantle the structure began in 2021 and were described by Endesa as being of “great technical complexity”.

The power plant will be replaced by the construction of a solar facility, that will see the creation of around 280 jobs over the next few months, 30% of which will be filled by workers from the local area.

Decommissioning of power plant hits its peak Dismantling of Teruel facility in Andorra sees over 400 workers onsite